


Three Dinners at Seventh Heaven

by SnappleNinja



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Again, Cloud Strife Needs a Hug, Confessions, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Dinners, Fluff and Angst, Gentle Kissing, Marlene is secretly the biggest shipper, Post-Advent Children (Compilation of FFVII), Sharing a Room, Shyness, a TON of character exploration cuz it'd be painful not to, basically everyone assumed Cloud and Tifa are married because why wouldn't they be, help me pls i don't know how to tag, what even are these tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:46:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29091498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnappleNinja/pseuds/SnappleNinja
Summary: Several months after the Geostigma crisis, life at the bar has been getting a lot better for everyone.  Cloud is back and here to stay, to Tifa's relief, and the kids are getting along well under the guidance of their makeshift parents.  While life improves, Tifa realizes just how little she and Cloud know their neighbors, and they both decide to invite them over for dinner.Neither of them expected that they would also invite an array of questions aimed at their complicated relationship.First impressions are everything, aren't they?
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 22
Kudos: 75





	1. The First Dinner (be home by eight)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tifa organizes the first dinner with their neighbors, much to Cloud's reluctance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I'm just gonna post all 3 chapters at once because I forced myself to wait. Coming out of a 40-chapter story with very inconsistent updates, I just like not having that kind of pressure. Still, this fic needed to be more than a oneshot, so rather than post Chapter 1 one day, Chapter 2 in like a week, and then Chapter 3 two and a half weeks later cuz I take too long to write an ending I'm happy with, I went with the route of writing all three before posting. Yay me.
> 
> I also had to look over this thing several times and fix one glaring issue: the bedroom Cloud and Tifa were brought to in Advent Children after Reno and Rude found them unconscious in the church is Marlene and Denzel's room, not theirs. I was led astray, and apparently this is a pretty common misconception so I guess a lot of people wouldn't have noticed. eh. Cloud has his room (presumably the same as his work office) and Tifa has hers. So, this story just sets up a different scenario so sharing the same room is still endgame. Big brain writer moment, obviously.
> 
> If I missed anything important, I'd appreciate friendly criticism lol.
> 
> Oh and SPOILERS for Advent Children and the entirety of Final Fantasy VII  
> \-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tifa hated waking up alone. Just the unsatisfying feeling of seeing an empty bed beside hers honestly felt like a recipe for a terrible day right off the bat. She wasn't supposed to wait on him every night he had a late delivery, nor was Cloud required to wake up at the same time as her as payment for taking up half of the bedroom. There were no real concrete rules or expectations, just the thoughtful yet unspoken terms they both set up out of respect for each other.

It’d only been a few months since she’d offered to share the room with him for a bit, agreeing that it would only be temporary. He needed more space in his office for work supplies for deliveries, and it would eventually no longer be practical to use up so much of that space for his bed and dresser. After dragging both heavy items down the hallway to the other bedroom, they’d continued sleeping as they always had despite being so much closer. That’s why she wasn’t supposed to worry. Why she wasn’t supposed to wait. 

But she did wait almost every night. She did wake up wishing he stayed in bed long enough to tell her 'good morning.' Maybe he'd give her a small smile, too, or a kiss on the forehead, or if fate was ever kind, he would tell her he'd taken the day off. That'd be the best news she'd heard in months.

But, no, he was gone, and had probably been gone for a while. His sheets and cover had been neatly folded over, and Tifa found delight in the fact that after everything she'd taught him about living normal lives, he could make his bed damn well. The same couldn't quite be said for some of his cooking or cleaning skills, but it was the baby steps that Tifa found joy in nonetheless. 

There were so many more things she wanted to be able to do with him - things they never had time for due to work. Things normal people got to experience all the time and took for granted. Tifa greatly envied the families who could regularly eat dinner at the same table together or watch movies. What made it worse was that the rare times that Cloud was around for those things were so blissful and perfect that it hurt that much more when he went right back to eating leftovers alone the next night.

Tifa wanted to see Cloud have a tea party with Marlene. 

She wanted to see him play catch with Denzel.

She wanted him to take her somewhere nice. Away from the bar. Under the stars. Just the two of them. She could convince him to wear that dress shirt that was collecting dust in the closet. The navy blue one that complemented his-

"Forget it," Tifa found herself speaking out loud. She found herself dreaming - no, longing for so many things she didn't have. She'd had big dreams ever since she was a girl, but it wasn't until after the Geostigma incident and Cloud moving back in with her and the kids that she patiently but sometimes impatiently waited for his company. For his presence in a room. For the soft humming sound he made in the back of his throat sometimes that made her feel warm and safe and in heaven.

Tifa wanted a lot of things, but keeping Cloud Strife at home more often was the biggest one with no competition. She wondered how quickly he'd pin it to her if she were to "accidentally" flatten the tires on his bike.

_"Aw, you can't make your deliveries then? Such a shame."_

Tifa got up alone, as she often did, and quickly dressed herself for the day. After she’d tied Aerith’s ribbon around her upper arm, Tifa slipped on and tied her sneakers, running her hand briefly along the edge of Cloud’s bed as she neared the door.

To her surprise, she found him in the kitchen. Stooped over a bowl of cereal, his hair somewhat disheveled (as much as hair like his could be made any wilder), and dressed for the day in his black sweater and pants, Cloud Strife looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep at all. 

_He’s eating,_ Tifa humored herself. _Gotta count the small things._

“Good morning,” she chirped, hoping she didn’t come off quite as high-pitched as she heard herself. Tifa leaned against the doorframe, folding her arms. It was somewhat chilly this morning. Maybe she’d put on something extra over her sleeveless top. Cloud’s sweater sure looked cozy.

His head tipped up and he gave her a ghost of a smile before returning to his food, gobbling down another spoonful of cereal. “Mornin’,” he mumbled in between bites.

Tifa rolled her eyes. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth, Cloud. Even Marlene knows better by now.”

Cloud made no sound of reply, still digging in. Finally, he swallowed and dropped the spoon. To her relief, he patted his palm against the surface of the chair beside him, urging her to come over. Standing against the wall had nothing on the comfortable seats he’d installed several months back. They typically saved extra spending for making upgrades to the bar, but there was the occasional deal Cloud would notice on his days on the road, and after hearing about it, Tifa would pick it up.

The bartender slid in beside Cloud, feeling cheerier already now that she knew he was still here. Her eyes glanced up at the clock, noticing the time. If he was doing a normal delivery shift, he’d have been out the door by now. He didn’t seem to be in any rush to finish his cereal, either.

“So…no deliveries today?” she asked, unable to help the wide grin that graced her lips.

Cloud shook his head slowly, swallowing more of his breakfast. His eyes stared off into space, but she noticed a kind of relief and ease on his face that she didn’t usually see. “Nothing major, and nothing too close that the other services couldn’t take care of it. I figured it was slow enough to take the day off.”

Tifa nodded. “You’re not usually one to leave the boring jobs to others.”

Cloud let a sharp breath out of his nose, silently chuckling. Raw Cloud-type attitude was nearly s _eeping_ off of him. “Well, the bike needs some tune-ups anyway…”

“Fenrir’s finally feeling its age?” Tifa guessed, getting up to make some coffee. 

“It’s barely a three-year-old motorbike, it shouldn’t be having problems so often,” Cloud groaned, sounding and looking far more frustrated about it than Tifa expected. She froze at the coffee maker for a moment, watching him with a frown before the machine started making its usual sounds, beckoning the woman from her trance.

“What’s worse, it’s burning through fuel way too quickly,” Cloud added. “I’m really hoping it’s not the whole tank that I have to worry about.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Tifa assured him, although how, she did not know. “You always seem to figure out those kinds of things far better than I can.”

“I’m just putting it off as long as I can before the feelings of uselessness drive me out to the garage,” Cloud quipped dryly. Tifa laughed softly.

“Useless may be a stretch. Any amount of time you’re here for the kids” _and for me_ “is never a waste, right?”

Cloud nodded thoughtfully, his head looking up so his eyes could peer down the hallway where Marlene and Denzel were still sleeping. He started smiling, and must’ve been thinking of _something_ good, but of course he never voiced it. Tifa was never one to constantly go “gil for your thoughts?” but sometimes she wished she was naturally just a bit pushier. If only so that she’d get more out of him.

“Since you’re home, I actually had an idea for something we could do today,” Tifa offered, coming back to sit beside him with her finished coffee. She lifted the cup to her lips, allowing just a bit of hot liquid past before putting it back down. _Rejuvenating. Warm. Cozy._ The same thoughts ran through her head when her free hand briefly brushed against Cloud’s sweater.

“Cleaning the bar?” he asked, not sounding too enthusiastic but not against the idea either.

“That’ll be part of it if everything works out,” Tifa nodded. “I was thinking. We’ve lived here for several years now, Cloud, but we hardly know our neighbors.”

His eyes peered up as if he could somehow stare through the walls and into the neighbor’s house. “They stay on their property and we stay on ours. Sounds like a good relationship.”

“To you, maybe,” she sighed. “Cloud, knowing your neighbors aren’t going to bust in and rob us is great and all, but I’d like us to be a bit friendlier than _that_.”

He seemed unconvinced for a moment, still staring seriously at the wall. Finally, he looked back down at his bowl. “I guess so.”

“Great,” Tifa clapped her hands together, running the plan through her head one more time. “We should go to the Rollinghams today and invite them over for dinner. Tonight. At the bar.”

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “What, are we gonna let them drink free or something?”

“No, silly, we’ll close the bar early,” Tifa explained, knowing now that Cloud not working and closing the bar early was a bad mix at the end of the month when they needed to make ends meet. Still, they were doing fine enough to cut things off a few hours early if her checking book was anything to go by. “They’re a young couple and it doesn’t sound like they have any family in the area, so I think a nice dinner with you, me, and the kids would do them some good. Who knows, maybe we’ll come to really enjoy it. Even _you_.”

Cloud didn’t do social gatherings. Like, hardly ever. Tifa knew this and respected it, but it did leave her feeling a bit trapped sometimes. She _wanted_ to make friends, while he was perfectly content with the ones he already had. Barret. Yuffie. Vincent. Cid. The kids. Her. While she could go out and socialize all she wanted, Tifa wanted her friends to also be Cloud’s. If they were under the same roof, it’d be so much better that way. _Especially_ when it came to having people over for dinner.

“Maybe,” Cloud managed for her, his lips only slightly curling into a smile. “You sure we can trust them?”

Tifa gave Cloud an incredulous look and shook her head. “The moment I notice one of them carrying a spiked mace, I’ll let you know.”

He nodded quietly, dipping his spoon back into the milk and cereal.

“Wha- no, Cloud, I was _joking_.”

His eyes slightly widened as he searched for an excuse. “I…knew that.”

He didn’t.

“Cloud, seriously, our neighbors are _normal_ people. It’d be healthy for us to have more friends like that, right?”

“Right.” He was hesitant, but willing to do it since she was asking. Good. “Well, we might as well get it over wi-“ A ringtone cut him off, and Tifa’s heart sank. She watched with hopeful eyes, biting her lip as Cloud tugged his phone out of his pocket and brought it to his ear. She could hear a voice coming from the other end, but it was unrecognizable from a distance.

Cloud’s eyebrows furled and his mouth fell into a straight line. 

_Please no._

_Please don’t let it be work._

_Please don’t let it take him away._

Cloud quietly muttered back a response before ending the call. He slowly placed the phone on the table beside his bowl and didn’t look at Tifa. “I have to go.”

 _Impeccable timing as always, Strife._ Tifa groaned, a bit unladylike of her, but she’d just gone through a rollercoaster of emotions. “For how long?”

Cloud’s shoulders slumped. “Possibly the whole day. A client fifty miles out needs a package delivered to some kind of Amish town somewhere in the mountains.”

Tifa scoffed. “And there isn’t someone a lot closer who could take it? Preferably someone with a vehicle bigger than a bike?”

Cloud shook his head. “He requested me specifically. Said he doesn’t trust the other delivery guys.”

“Well, that’s not quite how mail service works, is it?” Tifa argued, running a hand through her hair. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d gotten her hopes up so high only to crush them all back down with a single phone call. “You don’t get to pick and choose who you want or don’t want.”

“He’s willing to pay a lot, Tifa,” Cloud almost whispered.

She wasn’t convinced. “To send a package small enough to fit on a bike to someone in an Amish village?”

“I’m not allowed to ask about the contents or the reason for mailing it out,” Cloud pointed out, rising to his feet. “That’s all private. All I’m expected to do is get it there. Tifa, this much money could help us out a lot. It’d cover the costs of all the beverages coming in for the next three months at least, and we could use the rest for Denzel’s school books.”

“I know, but-“ Tifa trailed off, realizing she was fighting a losing battle. “Just…get home as soon as you can, okay?”

He nodded, slipping his boots on and hurrying out the door with nothing more than a small smile in her direction. The door shut behind him. Tifa missed him already.

* * *

“Why are we doing this again?” Denzel’s groaning was exceedingly loud and drawn out as Tifa led him out the door of the bar and onto the sidewalk. The boy was already shoving his hands down his pockets, his curly hair falling over his left eye. Tifa made a mental note to sit the boy down sometime and give him a haircut.

“I was thinking…” Tifa paused, deciding to add a bit more incentive. “Cloud and I _both_ were talking about having the Rollinghams over for dinner tonight.”

“Why?” Denzel’s nose scrunched up a bit. “Is Cloud trading Materia with them or something?”

Tifa chuckled in disbelief. “No, just…come along, would you?”

“Fine.”

The soles of Tifa’s sneakers clicked and clattered against stone steps as she approached the door. She noticed Denzel gently shift to partly hide behind her, and her hand came across to playfully ruffle his hair. It’d be okay. They’d be okay.

Tifa’s knuckle ratted against the door three times before falling to her side. She quickly glanced down at Denzel before the door swung open and she was met by a man just a head taller than herself. He was wearing a red t-shirt, grey jeans and had a bit of stubble running along his chin. Messy black hair sat on top of his head and he looked both visitors over with curious brown eyes.

“The bar lady?” he asked confusedly, squinting at her face as if to confirm it and then he relaxed, breaking into a smile. “It _is_ you, huh? Sorry, I’m just not used to seeing you outside the bar.”

She sighed. “Yes, I’ve been pretty busy lately.”

“So, what can I do for you?” he asked. “Don’t tell me I came home drunk without paying on the way out. That’d be the second time.”

 _Third,_ Tifa almost wanted to correct him. “No, Mr. Rollingham, it’s nothing like that. We actually came by to invite you over for dinner.”

The man scratched his head. “At the bar?”

“Yes,” Tifa nodded, but quickly took note of his hesitation. “I know it’s not the most appealing atmosphere for a friendly dinner, but-“

“No, no, it’s fine,” he waved his hands in front of his face before craning his head behind his shoulder. “I actually quite like your bar. My wife does too. Says it feels like home.”

Tifa gave a warm smile. “I’m pleased to hear that. So, I understand if you can’t make it tonight…”

“No, that’s fine,” he assured her. “Maria isn’t home right now. She’s working at the urgent care several blocks down, but she’ll be back long before dinner time. Did you have a time in mind?”

Tifa bit her lip. The better question was just how long Cloud would be gone? How far had he said the client was? Fifty miles? That’d take around an hour if he was abiding by the speed limit, although out past the city, he was known to drive a bit more dangerously…

Fifty there, and however long it’d take him to get into the mountains and back. 

So Tifa went with the safest time she could think of. “How’s 8:30 work for you?”

The man nodded. “Sounds great. I’ll be sure to call her and let her know what we’ve got planned.” He grinned. “Thanks for this, I’m sure a nice dinner will take some stress off of her.” He turned and waved goodbye, but was stopped by a sudden thought. Looking back at Tifa, he asked, “How big is your family, anyway?”

“Just me, this guy, Denzel,” Tifa pointed out the sheepish child by patting his shoulder, “my daughter, Marlene, and-“

“And your husband, right?” the man asked. “The delivery boy with the spiky hair? Seems like a cool dude. I see him out making the rounds all the time. And that bike...” he let out a low whistle. “That thing is _sweet._ Any chance you could let me in on where and how I can find one of those?”

Tifa’s mind melted upon the first three words. _Husband. No. But of course he wouldn’t know._

Denzel seemed to notice her distress, or at least the red blush covering her cheeks, so he answered, “Uh, I think Cloud’s bike might be one of a kind, sir. I, uh…actually, I don’t really know…”

“Cloud?” the man just kept grinning. “Your dad’s got a sick bike _and_ a sick name.”

Denzel faltered. “I…I guess.”

“So,” the man continued, looking back up at Tifa, who had finally recomposed herself. “Will he be there tonight?”

_Husband. He thinks…….dear god, no._

Tifa cleared her throat, folding her hands behind her back nervously. Was it getting hot? On a cool autumn day, somehow? There had to have been a heater nearby or something…

“He should be there, yes,” Tifa nodded quickly. “He’s out on the job right now, but should be home eventually.”

“Great,” he nodded, rubbing his hands together. “Guess we’re on for tonight then. Want me to bring over something to contribute?”

Tifa smiled at the gesture but shook her head. “It’d be rude to ask our guests to bring over food. We’ll take care of everything. Have a nice day, Mr. Rollingham.” She waved goodbye before turning to walk away with Denzel in tow.

“Please, call me Jason.”

“Tifa.”

* * *

“You didn’t tell him you aren’t married to Cloud,” Denzel repeated for the third time as he hovered over Tifa’s shoulder. The bartender was currently wiping down one of the counters, pretending to be working really hard at getting a piece of gunk cleaned off. In reality, she was stalling. Searching desperately for a way to explain just why she didn’t bother correcting Jason that wouldn’t result in her getting red in the face all over again. 

“What’s this about Cloud?” Marlene peeped up as she came down the stairs into the bar, her ponytails bouncing behind her. The girl looked up sweetly at Tifa, and she instantly felt guilty for attempting to find anything other than the full, honest truth. She was their _mother._ They expected honesty from her just as she did from them.

“Listen, I don’t really know _why_ I didn’t correct him,” Tifa admitted, looking away nervously. Her eyes focused on the counter. “I was just…surprised, is all. Then he just kept talking and asked about the bike, and I never got around to saying anything.”

“Mr. Rollingham thinks Cloud and Tifa are _married_?” Marlene gasped as if she were uncovering some kind of scandal, only to break into a fit of giggles. 

“Marlene…” Tifa sighed helplessly, watching as the girl bounced over to the window. 

“Is Cloud coming back soon? I want to tell him about Mr. Rollingham and see if he laughs, too.”

Tifa mentally panicked. _If Cloud is ever caught laughing at **that,** it’d better be **nervous** laughter…_

“Marlene, obviously Tifa isn’t laughing about it, so Cloud won’t either,” Denzel rolled his eyes as he sat on a lonesome bar stool with a comic book in hand. “He’ll probably think you’re just messing with him.”

“No, he knows I wouldn’t lie about something like that,” Marlene shook her head stubbornly. “Cloud trusts me.”

Tifa smiled.

“Well, if he _does_ believe you, he still won’t laugh.” Denzel stated firmly.

“Will too,” Marlene grinned.

“Will not.”

“Will too.”

“I bet you my entire week’s allowance that he won’t.”

Tifa raised an eyebrow. “Denzel, we don’t give you an allowance.”

The boy groaned. “You weren’t supposed to say that out loud, Tifa.”

“Listen, you two, I’m not going to let you waste time going back and forth about it all afternoon. I’m _not_ ,” Tifa let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding in. “This bar needs to be cleaned up and we’ll need to get dinner ready for later tonight.”

“But the bar opens this afternoon,” Denzel pointed out.

“Mhm, which means we have limited time to get this all done.” Tifa ushered them both into the kitchen, and after the kids gave each other skeptical looks, they nodded and hurried in. “And don’t tell Cloud about what Mr. Rollingham said, please.”

_I’m just doing what I can to keep him around more often. The last thing we need is for the kids to blow this out of proportion._

* * *

_“Hey Cloud, it’s Tifa. I went over with Denzel to the Rollingham’s place and we’re on for 8:30. I’ll try to close the bar before eight, but I’m hoping you’ll be home before then? Please call me back if you get the chance.”_

_“Cloud, it’s me, Tifa. Um, I don’t know if your ringer is silenced or you just missed me, but please call me back when you get this. The bar’s about to open in half an hour and I’ll still be able to monitor the phone, but…I just need to know where you are. I’m hoping you’re on your way home, because it’s getting late and the dinner’s only in a few hours…please call me back, okay?”_

_“Hey, it’s Tifa. It’s been hours since I first tried calling you and you still haven’t gotten back to me. I realize now that you probably won’t have service up in the mountains, but I really hope you left that place a while ago. Dinner’s on in literally five minutes and I’m sure I can manage on my own for a bit, but…I’d feel a lot better about tonight if you were here, y’know? I gotta go. Stay safe.”_

Tifa hung up, leaving her third voicemail that night before shoving her small phone into the pocket of her skirt. A knock on the door quickly brought her into friendly bartender mode all over again, trying her best to hide the worry painted on her face. Cloud had come home late plenty of times before. This was nothing new.

“Coming!” Tifa called before whipping around to Denzel and Marlene, who were seated on the barstools. “They’re here. I need you two on your best behavior, alright? Have good table manners, be respectful, and _please_ don’t let me catch you talking about cartoons while we’re eating. Okay? Start conversations that grownups will be interested in.”

“What are grownups interested in?” Marlene asked, tapping her chin.

“Mr. Rollingham seemed interested in Cloud’s bike,” Denzel chimed in.

“See? Atta boy, Denzel. See if you can spark a conversation about motorcycles.” Tifa sighed before smoothing out her skirt and walking over to the doors. As soon as she swung them open, a lonesome couple nearly tumbled inside, clattering their teeth.

“Oh, thank you,” Jason muttered between shivers, hugging himself. “It’s a lot colder out there than I had expected. Seems like a nasty storm is coming in, too.”

Tifa frowned. Cloud would be riding home in that now, too.

“Thanks again for having us,” Jason’s wife spoke up, her blonde hair falling across her face. Jason tenderly brushed it behind her ear. “You have no idea how relieving it was when I heard about your invitation. Couldn’t have come on a better day, I tell you. Work was hectic.”

“No problem,” Tifa greeted the two warmly, before reaching over to grab Denzel and Marlene from the corner. The two kids were placed in front of her, smiling shyly. “Kids, these are our neighbors, the Rollinghams. Can you two say hi?”

“Hi,” they both chirped in unison, gaining a laugh from Jason’s wife.

“Oh, what adorable children you have, Tifa.” She extended a hand then, and Tifa shook it gratefully. “I’m Maria, by the way.”

“Nice to have you over, Maria. This is Denzel,” Tifa pointed to the boy, “and Marlene.” The girl nervously stepped forward just a bit, fumbling over her words.

“H-hi, Mrs. Rollingham, c-can I get you a drink?”

“Oh!” Maria exclaimed with delight. “How sweet.”

“You don’t have to worry about getting drinks, sweetie,” Tifa shook her head, running her fingers through the girl’s hair thoughtfully. “We’ll bring all of that in eventually.” She cleared her throat as a thought dawned on her. “And I don’t want you handling the adults’ drinks, Marlene.”

Jason snorted. “Good call.”

“You can hang your jackets on the coat rack beside you,” Tifa gestured to the spot beside the couple, “and we can start getting things set up. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Oh, famished,” Maria nodded, wriggling her jacket off of her shoulders. “Thanks again.”

“No problem.”

“Say, uh…” Jason started just as Tifa turned to grab the food. She stopped in her tracks. “…is your husband here? I was really hoping to meet him.”

Marlene, still staying close by, hid her face in Tifa’s skirt to muffle her giggles. Denzel had separated to walk into the kitchen on his own, but still turned back to shoot Tifa a knowing glance. The boy had, at some point, picked up Cloud’s teasing grin and mastered it with ease.

Tifa managed to keep a straight face, hoping she’d beaten back whatever redness threatened to overwhelm her cheeks. “Unfortunately, he’s not home yet. He got stuck out there a bit longer than expected, I guess.” She twiddled her thumbs together for a few moments before finally adding, “…and he’s not my husband.”

Maria blinked several times rather quickly. “…I don’t understand. Did you two…split?”

Denzel could be heard audibly coughing in the background and Marlene was still burying her face in the material of Tifa’s skirt. Tifa sighed before waving for the couple to come further inside. “I’ll explain everything once dinner’s on the table. Marlene, can you please go help Denzel bring out the turkey?”

“Cloud and Tifa didn’t split up!” the girl exclaimed suddenly, shaking her head rapidly at the Rollinghams. “They didn’t!”

Tifa began laughing nervously, pushing the girl along. “Th-they know that, sweetie, just go help Denzel, okay?”

Marlene still seemed distraught but obeyed anyway, hurrying off.

“She’s a cutie,” Maria sighed happily before taking a seat at the table that’d been prepared in the center of the bar. Jason quickly sat in the chair beside her. “We didn’t mean to sound nosey, I’m sorry…”

“No, it’s…fine,” Tifa shook it off, taking a seat across from them. _You and Cloud aren’t married. Simple as that. Doesn’t have to be any more complicated than just telling the truth._ “I know it may be easy for some people to assume that Cloud and I are…together. But we’re not married. Never have been.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “And the kids are…?”

“Not ours by blood,” Tifa shook her head. “Marlene was trusted to us several years back by a good friend who needed to sort some things out, and we adopted Denzel a little while after. His parents were killed when the Sector 7 plate went down.”

Maria swallowed hard. “…I’m sorry to hear that. I had a lot of friends in Sector 7.”

“We all did,” Jason nodded solemnly. 

“Still, I admire you for taking on two children like that,” Maria smiled. “And at such a young age, too. How old are you, Tifa? 25?”

“22, actually.”

“So if Cloud isn’t the biological father of either of the kids, and he isn’t married to you…” Jason trailed off, looking as if he was afraid he’d crossed a forbidden line by asking.

“We’re just good friends,” Tifa responded simply. It was what she told everyone who asked. Just friends who lived in the same house. Just friends who both acted as parents to their adopted children. Just friends who shared the same bedroom, albeit with separate beds. Just friends who sometimes flirted and exchanged longing glances but were still just friends. 

“Alright, I guess that makes sense,” Jason nodded. Still, the way his tone shifted near the end insinuated that he wasn’t quite confident in Tifa’s answer. It was fine, though, because it was all she dared to say. As expected, he came at her with another question, not satisfied with the answer. “Not even dating?”

“No,” Tifa slightly bowed her head, hiding a look of embarrassment. If only she’d bothered to correct him that morning, then all of this could have been avoided…

Cloud had always said he felt comfortable living with her and the kids. His caring heart and his smile seemed to always back up that statement. 

At the end of the day, she was all he had left from any life he had known before Shinra. Before Sephiroth. He preferred to stay by her side, and she reciprocated those feelings. She’d lost everything, too. She’d stuck by him even when he was at his lowest, helping to piece him back together in the Lifestream…

It felt like ten years ago now.

“We’ve got the turkey!” Marlene exclaimed as she and Denzel scurried over with it, each of them holding one end of the dish. With a bit of guidance from Tifa, the children carefully placed the turkey at the center of the table, taking their seats soon after.

“Thank you, kids,” Maria smiled sweetly. “I’m sure it’ll taste amazing.”

The meal began quietly as the turkey was divvied up onto everyone’s plate. Tifa gave Denzel a condescending glare as he quickly gobbled it all up and went for seconds. Her hand extended to stop his from getting any closer. “Save what’s rest for Cloud.”

“The turkey is delicious,” Maria beamed, looking up to flash Tifa a quick smile. As she picked through the meat with her fork, tearing it straight down the middle, she attempted to strike up a conversation. “How long have you been serving drinks for, anyway?”

“Five, maybe six years,” she shrugged, realizing she’d lost count two years ago. “It wasn’t until a couple years in that I ran my own bar, though. The first Seventh Heaven. In Sector 7.”

“Gotta say, I had never heard the name until you opened up shop here in Edge,” Jason admitted, wiping off his mouth with a napkin. “In case I was too drunk to say anything, I have _really_ appreciated the customer service here.”

Upon the word “drunk”, Maria sputtered, gently slapping her husband on the shoulder. “ _Honey…_ there are _kids_.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled between bites.

“It’s fine,” Tifa smiled, hoping to move past the topic quickly and avoid the question she’d received more than once before. _What kind of mother raises children in a bar?_ “Marlene and Denzel usually stick around upstairs, anyway. At least, while the bar is open.”

“Speaking of which,” Jason snickered, wiping a few crumbs off of the corner of his mouth. “Any chance you still have something bitter out on the counter?”

“Right,” Tifa cleared her throat and got to her feet, hurrying over to sneak in behind the bar table. “We had a few different choices set out, depending on what you prefer.”

“Whaddya got?”

“Well, first of all, we’ve got the Cosmo Canyon, then the-“

“Ooh, I’ll take that,” Jason nodded excitedly. His wife was clearly not amused with his behavior, but spoke up anyway.

“I’ll have what he’s having.”

“Oh…okay.” Tifa quickly went to work getting the drinks mixed, her eyes occasionally darting up to make sure the kids were behaving. There was Denzel, looking quite unsatisfied still with Cloud’s helping still staring at him at the bottom of the dish, and Marlene was seated with her hands gripping the sides of her seat and her legs swinging back and forth underneath the table. It really was hard to get her to sit still these days.

“So, Mr. Rollingham,” Denzel spoke up suddenly, sounding a bit shaky. “Do you have a motorcycle?”

Tifa couldn’t help but beam proudly from where she watched at the counter. If only Cloud was there to see the boy come out of his shell. _He’d be proud, too._

Jason’s shoulders slumped but he put on a wide smile before humoring Denzel. “Nah, not anymore. I used to, though, back when Sector 7 was still around. I had a nicer job there, and with the money, I was able to buy a pretty decent bike. Bright red paint, black stripes down the sides…”

“And he looked ridiculous coming in on that thing to visit my parents and I for the weekend,” Maria rolled her eyes. “Maybe that’s another good thing about us getting married. We were both too broke to keep the bike.”

“I resent that. But yeah, it was cool and all when I first got it, but it’s _nothing_ like your dad’s,” Jason chuckled. “First time I saw him driving around town on that thing, I thought it was something straight out of a movie. Does that thing really brake on a dime?”

“Always seems like it,” Tifa commented from behind the counter, pouring the finished drinks into two wine glasses. “I think he likes it that way. Less need to drive slow when you can just bring it to a screeching halt in an instant.” She caught Denzel’s expression. “Don’t get any ideas, Denzel.”

“I’m _not_ …”

“Thank you,” Maria chirped as Tifa came over to the table again, placing a glass in front of each of her guests. “What did you call this one, again?”

“Cosmo Canyon,” Marlene piped up, her eyes growing wide like saucers as she looked between both of the Rollinghams. “It’s Cloud’s favorite.”

“Oh?” Jason smirked, taking a sip. “Well, I’d say he’s got good tastes.”

“It’s his favorite?” Tifa repeated, cycling the thought through her head. “He said that?”

“Mhm,” Marlene nodded her small head confidently. “Only when you make it, though. He never finished the one that Yuffie made him one time. I think he said it was…” the girl scrunched her face comically as she thought back. “… _discount Cosmo Canyon._ ”

Maria laughed. “Really?”

“Guy really said that?” Jason laughed along with her.

“Whatever he said, I’m sure he was just messing with Yuffie,” Tifa waved it off. “He didn’t mean anything mean by it.” Sure, the ninja girl often got on Cloud’s nerves – heaven knew she got on _Tifa’s_ nerves, too – but they were friends. The worst it ever got between them was a mild argument that eventually transitioned into an arm wrestling contest that really wasn’t that fair from the start. 

“So, you’ve heard about me,” Tifa smiled after a while. “Tell me about you.”

* * *

The dinner went on for another half hour as Jason and Maria took turns telling stories about their past, whether it be the countless pranks Jason played on his brother or the day he’d proposed to Maria by hiding the ring in her sock. Tifa had wanted to ask just how that was possible, but the young couple had a habit of quickly jumping from one story to the next. Not that the bartender minded – it was keeping the kids entertained.

Finally, _finally_ , Tifa picked up on the faintest sound of a motorcycle engine coming closer to the bar. She glanced out the window, watching as a head of spiky blonde hair was noticeable even in the dark for just a moment. She heard the garage door sliding open. Took him long enough.

“That’s him, right?” Jason’s eyebrows raised. “Guess it really was a long day of work, huh?”

Tifa sighed. _I’m sure I don’t even know the half of it._

After another minute, they heard footsteps at the door. A voice – no, _two_ voices coming close. Tifa frowned. Had he brought over another guest?

The doors burst open almost violently, the wood threatening to snap off of the hinges, and a rain-covered figure stumbled inside. It wasn’t Cloud. No, this was someone else, someone Tifa didn’t recognize. Cloud was behind them, seemingly holding both their wrists behind their back and nudging them inside with his knee. 

“Now, you go apologize to her, you piece of-“ Cloud was hissing harshly under his breath, continuing to push the figure inside the bar before his eyes scanned the room and he froze.

There was the one and only Cloud Strife, his clothes damp and trailing water inside. Some of his golden spikes of hair that were normally tilted upwards now fell wet over his face. His sword had some dirt and grime along its edge, insinuating that Cloud had used it recently, and his face was stained with that same dirt. There were fresh cuts on his left arm.

He looked awful.

 _And yet, at the same time, oddly satisfied,_ Tifa mused, her attention being drawn to a small grin across Cloud’s lips.

She stood to her feet instantly, almost pushing the table over by accident, and hurried to his side, keeping a watchful eye of the strange figure. “Cloud, what _happened_?”

He pushed her away with his elbow, delicately and carefully but with a sternness in the look he gave her. “…got attacked by bandits. This one needs to have a chat with you.” Cloud nudged the figure again, gaining a small wail of pain in response.

“Is that why you never called me back?” Tifa asked, her eyes still looking him over for cuts or bruises she hadn’t already noticed. “What happened to your phone?”

Cloud winced. “It got run over. It’s flattened on the road somewhere.”

 _Replacing that won’t be cheap,_ Tifa mentally reminded herself. “Cloud, we’re having dinner with guests, and you’re bringing a bandit inside-“

“I see that,” Cloud groaned, his eyes glancing over at Jason and Maria before coming back to Tifa and _staying_ there. She quickly noticed a flush of embarrassment melt away his stern composure. “I didn’t think you still wanted to bring them over tonight. I said I would be out for a while.”

“Yes, Cloud, and I took that as meaning like _five hours_ or something, not the whole day,” Tifa ran a hand down the side of her face. His mouth opened to say something, but she pushed him and the bandit along. “Just…do what you need to do with him and get him out of the bar. Please.”

Cloud was still wincing slightly as Tifa lectured him. “After going through this guy’s stuff after he tried to rob me, I found _this_.” Cloud used his free hand to dig into his pocket and pull something out. A simple necklace with tiny ordained jewels rested between his gloved fingers. It was hers. The one he’d bought her a year ago for her birthday. 

“Cloud…” Tifa sighed.

“He stole it, and he’s going to apologize to your face,” Cloud insisted, shoving the necklace back into his pocket before gripping the thief’s shoulders and forcing him upright. Messy brown hair fell across a face equally as dirty as Cloud’s.

“Cloud…” Tifa repeated, her tone growing into more of a slow warning. She didn’t want to do this. Not in front of the kids. Not in front of their neighbors.

“Vincent is outside,” Cloud added. “As soon as this runt apologizes, he’ll be taken to the authorities.”

Tifa’s confusion skyrocketed. “Vincent? For the love of…” she groaned. “Cloud, what in the _world_? I thought you were out delivering a package.”

Cloud’s lips quirked. “The situation changed.”

“Of course it did.”

“Hi, Cloud,” Marlene greeted him cheerily from where she sat, seemingly unfazed by his strange entrance. 

Cloud gave a small wave.

“Mr. Rollingham thought you and Tifa were married,” she blurted, immediately covering her mouth as soon as the words left. She was no doubt hiding another flurry of giggles.

“…what?” Cloud chuckled nervously, coughing at the end as he dangerously met Tifa’s gaze.

“Told you he’d laugh,” Marlene smirked in Denzel’s direction.

“Upstairs,” Tifa pleaded, taking hold of Cloud’s arm. “Just…give the guy to Vincent. I don’t need you to make him apologize.”

The former merc opened his mouth to protest, but quickly gave up. His shoulders relaxed and her turned the bandit around. “March.”

The man trembled as he did so, worriedly approaching the door he’d come through, only for Vincent to open it and grab hold of him. Vincent nodded in greeting, noting the shocked looks on Cloud and Tifa’s peculiar neighbors, and slipped away into the night.

“We could have at least offered him a drink…” Cloud started, but Tifa was already pulling him away to the staircase. His heels attempted to dig into the floor and prevent her from continuing, but this was a conflict Tifa was _not_ interested in leaving on its own.

“Sorry, we’ll be gone for just a bit,” Tifa called out to Rollinghams before ascending the steps.

Jason raised a brow. “Curious.”

* * *

“Tifa, I’m sorry,” Cloud mumbled for the third time before they both walked into the hallway and she pointed to the bathroom. 

“You’re filthy. Get in there and I’ll see about cleaning you up,” Tifa spoke stubbornly, but Cloud held her back. His thumb rubbed soothingly against her elbow, and if it weren’t for the dirt and grime, she might’ve relaxed into the touch.

“I just need a shower,” he protested. “And before you ask, the cuts-“

“They’re everywhere,” Tifa wailed, eyeing him over with a hanging jaw. Cloud Strife would one day be the death of her, she just knew it.

“I was going to say that they’ll heal,” Cloud sighed. “Seriously, everything else is just filth and dirty rain water. I promise.”

“Cloud, there’s gotta be at least a dozen of them on just this arm-“

“I _promise_ ,” Cloud’s voice raised a bit, his hand squeezing her elbow just a bit more. She looked up to find him leaning forward just a bit, giving her as much reassurance in one look as he could muster. He was smiling. A bit. Just a bit. Call it a tiny victory.

“I’ll hold you to it,” Tifa gave in, smiling back. “Still, before you get washed up, I think you could give me a quick recap on how your day went, huh?”

He grimaced. “The package was the least of my worries. I was on the way back home hours ago when they came at me out of nowhere. At least five of them. They set up a chain thicket in the road that caught Fenrir, and, well…” he nodded to his arm. “That’s how that happened.”

Tifa bit her bottom lip. “You…got flung off your bike?”

“Yeah. Landed on my arm on all the gravel. Hurt like hell for a bit, but it’ll feel a lot better after some sleep.”

She nodded, her eyes now downcast. “So you defeated them in combat and then found the necklace?”

Tifa could have sworn she saw actual flames light up in the green and blue of Cloud’s eyes. He frowned. “Yeah. Along with a bunch of stuff from who knows how many people.” His posture stiffened and his eyes went all over the hallway, not landing on anything in particular. “When I found that necklace in there, I just…wanted to see justice dealt. Going to prison without having to even face the person he stole from would be going too easy on him.”

Tifa folded her arms, looking back up at him. “Cloud, this isn’t like catching one of the kids doing something wrong and having them own up to it. They were thieves who no doubt tried to kill you just to steal something.”

“Marlene and Denzel don’t do that kind of stuff.”

Tifa laughed in disbelief. “I mean… _obviously._ But how criminals are handled is up to the authorities, not to us. Besides, I’m almost certain that ‘justice’ isn’t the reason you dragged that thief in here.”

His smile faltered. “Wh-what do you mean?”

As his smile failed, hers grew wider. “You know exactly what I mean. You were trying to impress me. He stole my necklace – the one _you_ bought me – and you got mad.”

“Uh…”

“You did it for me, Cloud.”

“Uh, I mean…you know…” Cloud cleared his throat and started rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes strayed away from hers, but to accommodate, she began leaning in closer to follow his line of sight. She caught him. Hook, line, sinker.

“Mhm?” Tifa asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t normally get this dangerously flirty, didn’t usually open up so many big opportunities for him to be sweet with her and flirt back. It was always fun to see what he’d say. His state of pure blushing helplessness was enough to leave Tifa confident that the day hadn’t been a waste. 

“Yeah, it was for you,” he finally muttered.

“Thought so,” Tifa pursed her lips. “Now go get that shower, SOLDIER. Your stench is starting to get to me now.”

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

Cloud shot a defeated look and turned away, walking off towards the bathroom. 

“And you’re taking a day off tomorrow, by the way,” Tifa called.

He whipped around, an eyebrow raised up his forehead. “I am?”

“Mhm. You got the money they promised, right?"

“Yes?”

“Then you can afford to take a day off,” she finished smugly. She wasn’t usually like this. Didn’t usually take his work schedule into her own hands. Still, there was the occasional day when he’d come home tired and bruised and she wished for nothing other than to take that schedule and burn it up. Maybe let Cloud tear up one half while she took the other, if he was in the mood.

He just gave a small nod and turned back to the bathroom. “Alright. I’ll be back down for dinner when I’m dressed.”

“I’ll hold you to _that,_ too.”

Tifa only heard Cloud’s gentle grumbling for a few moments before he slipped away. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they’d invite different neighbors – the ones on the other side of the bar – and do this again. As a family. No deliveries or last-second calls. 

The thought excited her.


	2. Cloud Takes the Day Off (i'm home all day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cloud agrees to take the day off and hangs out at the bar with Tifa and the kids. Of course, tonight's dinner with the Bistrows is inevitable.

Cloud was still smiling when Marlene slid her fifth sheet of printer paper over to him. He had one elbow propped on the table he was seated at, holding the side of his face against his knuckle. His eyes danced over the pictures drawn in crayon. This one was supposed to be some kind of dragon, supposedly. At least, that was what Marlene claimed. The red crayon had slid out of her hand a few times and accidentally veered off, leaving red lines in random directions. 

“Those are lasers,” she offered, trying her best to appear subtle. She had already started working on the next drawing, her green crayon going crazy over the white paper.

“Lasers, huh?” Cloud’s eyebrows both arched just a bit, his eyes examining Marlene’s drawing again before placing it back on the table and shooting the girl a knowing glance. “Coming out of his head and tail?”

“Sure!” Marlene chirped, shrugging her shoulders. Her eyes were still glued to her next project, occasionally shifting between crayons. Green was swapped out for blue, and then blue for the red again. “You’ve never seen one before?”

Cloud suppressed a chuckle. “I’ve fought dozens of different beasts, _including_ dragons and wyverns, but no. Never one that shot lasers out of its head.”

“Must’ve been looking in the wrong place,” Marlene smirked.

The former merc’s eyes squinted just a bit, watching the girl as she continued scribbling. “Have you been spending time with Yuffie lately?”

“Oh, yeah,” Marlene nodded her head with exaggerated movements, her hair bouncing behind her. “She babysits us sometimes when Tifa is working.”

“Guess I never noticed,” Cloud hummed thoughtfully. Of course he hadn’t noticed. He was hardly ever home. Sticking around for once drew his attention to so much he usually missed out on. The business of the bar during the afternoon. Catching the rays of sunlight that cast through the windows. Hearing acoustic music playing quietly on Tifa’s old radio. While Cloud was far from a people person, there was even something about seeing all the customers congregating at the tables that made him feel good. 

So here he was, seated at a table in the corner, away from all of the booze and men smelling like liquor, watching Marlene draw whatever came to mind. She’d take a few minutes to work on it, color it in, sign it with her name in the top left corner, and hand it to him. Then he’d give her his “honest opinion”, which usually ended up resulting in him teasing her on the concept itself. Dragons shooting lasers out of their heads were only the most recent offenders alongside snakes with candy canes for tails and a rather amusing depiction of Vincent all wrapped up in a pink scarf. Cloud made a mental note to take a photo of it and pass it along to Vincent. Or to Barret, who’d pass it along himself and make a bigger deal of it. Yeah, that’d do.

He’d been seated there with her for over an hour now, ever since the bar opened and Tifa had been dragged away to continuously take orders and mix drinks. Time didn’t seem to have any bearing on Marlene as she just continued falling into her own little world and sharing it with him through crude drawings with crayon occasionally going everywhere. Despite having her around for so long, Cloud had to remind him a few times not to be too judgmental. This was a girl’s drawing – not something to be critical of. 

“Does Denzel make these too?” Cloud asked, feeling genuine curiosity rising. 

“No,” Marlene shook her head, her lips curling together in a slight pout. “He says he’s too old for drawing.”

Tifa would probably disagree, saying that drawing was a healthy way for a growing boy’s mind to develop. Cloud wasn’t Tifa, and he just nodded. “So what does he do?”

“I don’t know,” Marlene giggled, watching as Cloud rolled his eyes. “I just want to keep drawing…”

“Well, maybe you’ve done enough of them for now,” Cloud cleared his throat. He’d found himself oddly enjoying this session, but all good things had to end eventually. From the look of the amount of people coming in and out, Tifa would no doubt need some extra help pretty soon, especially as the sun began to set. 

“But I’m not finished,” Marlene whined, but got up from her seat anyway. She had one drawing clutched in both hands, but made no move for the others. “You can keep those ones. Hang them up in your room.”

Cloud was about to disagree, but then looked back down at her hard work and smiled. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll hang them up for Tifa and I to both see before bed. Deal?”

“How is it a deal if you’re just taking my idea?”

“Because there’s a condition,” Cloud pressed. “I’ll hang up the pictures only if you go upstairs and play up there for a bit, okay? Make sure Denzel’s keeping out of trouble.”

“I was already going to,” Marlene smiled.

“Then we won’t have a problem, will we?” Cloud pointed out. “Hurry along.”

“Okay, I’m going!” Marlene squealed, her small shoes clattering behind her as she ran. “Bye, Tifa!”

“Hmm? Oh, be good!” the bartender’s voice rang out in response from where she was working. Cloud followed the sound and spotted Tifa. She was standing there before a customer, slightly leaning over the counter as her deft fingers quickly wrote down an order. Her bright crimson eyes were looking down at the notepad with much focus, looking up occasionally to nod at the customer as he kept talking. Cloud could hear bits and pieces of whatever the guy was telling her – call it an advantage of the Mako testing – but his attention was glued to her.

Tifa always had a certain heir about her that was only ever present when behind that counter. She always seemed content and happy with her job whenever talking to him about it, but it was these brief moments of watching her that confirmed it in Cloud’s mind. Her face was calm, her muscles relaxed, her feet sweeping across the wood floor with movements that almost looked like dancing. Whether Tifa was mixing drinks, sliding a pan into the oven, or hurrying over to tables to personally drop off larger, more delicate orders, she did it all with confidence and grace. The job was always so fresh in her mind that all of the tasks she carried out practically ran on muscle memory. On instinct.

Behind the bar counter was one of the few places where Tifa was never in danger. Never threatened or in trouble. While Cloud would still keep a watchful eye over the occasional suspicious character who wandered inside, some of them just looking to mess around and others pursuing her for a number they could text later, he never had to worry about armed men chasing after her. 

It was what made him feel a bit better about leaving her for so many hours every day. If someone ever did have the stupid idea to come in and try hurting her, Tifa Lockhart was more than capable of defending herself when he wasn’t there. There was no promise of safety, but there was a confidence in her abilities that Cloud held onto. 

Now she was staring back at him. Those distracting carmine eyes had moved away from the customer who’d since walked off to a table. Those eyes were now locking with his, the corners crinkling just a bit as she quietly laughed at his trance. A pleased smile graced her lips, and then she was waving him over before he had time to blink.

“You have fun with Marlene?” she asked as he came to the edge of the counter. She turned her back to grab some ingredients from the pantry, but she still watched him out of the corner of her eye.

“It was entertaining, at least,” Cloud offered a bit of signature “Cloud angst”, shrugging his shoulders. The look got another smile from her just like he wanted.

“Looks like she drew you up a whole album there,” Tifa nodded her head at the pile of pictures in his left hand. “You going to put one of them on the fridge?”

“She wanted them in the bedroom, actually,” Cloud answered, surprising himself with how pleased he sounded. Feeling the paper between his fingers, he added, “I think the wall to the right of our beds could use a bit more color.”

“Mmm,” Tifa hummed amusedly, shaking up a few drinks as she came back to the counter. “Good idea. It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything with our room, come to think of it.”

 _Our_ room. How could the addition of just one word make Cloud feel overjoyed and nervous at the same time? It was the reason he usually avoided using it altogether. It was always just “the room” with him. Then again, if things weren’t abnormal and he moved his bed back into his office, it’d be “his room” and “her room.” Somehow, after all this time, that thought sounded extremely unappealing. 

“You want to redecorate?” Cloud asked suddenly.

Tifa blinked one too many times. “Come again?”

“Our room,” Cloud explained, somehow saying the O word himself just seconds after mentally debating himself on it. “I was thinking we could redecorate. You’re kinda the one who bought the place, and it was your room first, so…”

“I mean…sure,” Tifa seemed to like the idea, staring down at the countertop thoughtfully as she tapped the end of her notepad against the fingers of her other hand. Cloud briefly watched the small sheets dance back and forth along the spiral. “I just never thought that, of the two of us, you’d be the one to suggest it. What, are you just thinking of moving the furniture around?”

“I mean painting the walls,” Cloud shook his head. “I could swap out the floorboards with wood that isn’t so rotted out, maybe see if I could fix the heating problem…the beds could be comfier too, don’t you think?” Cloud propped his chin on his elbow like earlier, looking to Tifa for her input, and she just looked at him with disbelief.

“You really are serious about this, aren’t you?” she laughed. “Didn’t take you for the type of guy to see a boring gray wall and start picturing ways to make it look better.”

“You just admitted that you think it’s boring,” Cloud pointed out. “I agree with you. Ergo, I get to work on adding a bit more color to the room.”

Tifa was completely lost for words. As she stood there speechless, searching for the words to describe just how out of character this all was, a new customer came up to the bar counter. She was freed from the shock momentarily. Cloud simply grinned at her surprise and stepped back a bit, letting her do her job.

“I’ll take a plate of chili fries, please?” the man requested a bit impatiently, his left foot tapping rapidly against the floor. The noise annoyed Cloud briefly, but thankfully Tifa’s cheerful voice was there to drown it all out.

“A plate of chili fries. Got it,” Tifa nodded, sporting a kind smile. “Would you like a drink with that?”

“Hard cider?”

“Coming right up,” Tifa assured him, beginning to turn away.

Cloud had already started walking back to the bar counter when he realized the customer wasn’t leaving to find a table somewhere else. The man contentedly plopped himself down on the third bar stool from the end where Cloud was standing. The swordsman had to remind himself for a moment that those bar stools were actually used by people other than him. Still, the way the man leaned over the counter lazily with his arms propped under his torso made the merc feel more than cautious. Tired yet curious brown eyes were watching Tifa a bit too long for Cloud’s liking, and he could have sworn the man was beginning to smirk just a bit.

Cloud let out a hidden yet meaningful breath before sliding into the last bar stool at the end, leaving just one empty one between him and this new customer. Why was he doing this again?

“You look upset, friend,” the man spoke slightly groggily, coughing on something in the back of his throat after speaking. He was definitely looking at Cloud now, not out of concern or even curiosity, just…amusement?

Cloud did not want to talk to this man. He really didn’t. Still…

He glanced over at Tifa, who still had her back turned, getting the fries ready.

“I’m just enjoying the peace and quiet,” Cloud shrugged, his hands resting on the counter in front of him. It wasn’t entirely a lie. Spending the day in a bar where, yes, there were loud, drunk bums, and yes, there were the two children he had to watch over, was still easily more relaxing than any work had been in weeks, maybe even months. Fenrir was alone in the garage. Hopefully not still leaking gas.

“Without a drink?” the man laughed. Cloud decided from the moment he heard it that it was a sound he never wanted to hear again. Him _or_ Tifa, for that matter. It was groggy and hoarse just like his normal voice, the sensation coming close to running nails down a chalkboard. Did Tifa have to hear laughter like that all the time?

“I’m pacing myself,” Cloud offered, his voice not making any attempts at delivering anything more than bare, dry emotion but still sounding miles better than whatever sound this croaker could make. “I’m told I indulge a bit too much.” He was almost certain that Tifa made a tiny sound of laughter from where she was working. She was laughing because he was making stuff up. Cloud Strife had gotten drunk before, just like anyone else who came to a bar so frequently, but when it came to drinking habits, he was surprisingly reserved and often didn’t finish the whole glass.

Didn’t mean there wasn’t the occasional exception, but…

“Tried that once,” the man laughed again. Oh, that awful, awful sound. “Hanging around at the main counter without spending any gil on anything can get you kicked out.”

Cloud glanced back over to where Tifa was, watching her stand on her tippie-toes to reach something in a higher cupboard. If Mr. Sleemo wasn’t sitting right there, he’d get up and grab it for her.

“I don’t think I need to worry about getting kicked out,” Cloud responded cryptically but with a smug grin on his face that he hoped was hidden just right by his hand so that the man wouldn’t see it but Tifa could notice if she just turned around. 

“Don’t be too sure,” the man persisted anyway. “My pop always used to say that if you’re ever hanging around the pretty bartender…” he nearly burped, causing Cloud to grimace. _Gross._ “…coming to steal away her attention but you don’t pay for a single drink in return…” the man went _tsk tsk_ with his tongue between his teeth, shaking his head. “You’re setting yourself up for disappointment, man.”

Cloud blinked. He was pretty certain that this guy’s dad never said something quite that specific. “Hmm…I’ll consider your little tip.”

“Yeah, make sure that you do,” the man nodded. “Ey, bartender! It’s Tifa, right?”

The woman whipped around, doing her best to look as if she had just been suddenly tugged into the conversation. Cloud knew better. The hesitant look in her eyes and the way her fingers curled up at her sides spoke volumes. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Make sure you get spiky here a drink,” he reached out to pat Cloud’s shoulder. Like they were friends. Like they hadn’t just met a minute ago and he hadn’t already given Cloud a million reasons to dislike him. Was he being too harsh? Maybe…

Tifa tilted her head slightly. “Okay?”

“I mean that it’s on me,” the man explained further before slapping a small amount of gil on the counter, sliding it towards Tifa with two of his fingers. “He’s in desperate need. I can tell.” Before Cloud could raise his voice just a bit and protest this man’s sudden gesture, a sound from the kitchen caught the attention of each of the adults present at the counter. Tifa’s eyes widened and she hurried off.

“Oh, the fries! Just a moment!”

“That’s alright,” the man grinned. Then, almost immediately, he was looking back at Cloud. “You’re gonna have that drink, right?”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed beyond his control. Something didn’t feel right. And why on the Planet was this man going out of his way to be so nice? The frustrating contrast felt nonsensical and wrong in Cloud’s train of thought. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Here are your fries, sir,” Tifa announced, and Cloud couldn’t be more relieved or happy for her presence close by him. If this strange creature was such a mystery, he at least had his best friend to anchor him. The transaction took place quickly, with Cloud watching the whole interaction unfold. The man took the fries, then his drink, and got up from his seat. Cloud nearly jumped back when his hand rested on his shoulder. One pat. Two pats. Three.

_What? Does he take me for a child?_

“See you around, Spiky,” he grinned with crooked teeth. Cloud didn’t even try to fake a smile for him, just kept his eyes on the man for the remaining moments he was in the bar. As soon as he was out of sight and the doors closed behind him, Cloud made a small half-growl in the back of his throat.

“Cloud!” Tifa berated him, her hand reaching out to gently slap his arm. “Could you please not scare away my customers?”

“He’s a creep,” Cloud defended his actions simply, still watching the door. Still sensing Tifa’s glare from behind him, he repeated himself. “He’s a creep. He _is_. You’re better off not having to worry about that guy again.”

“Have a little faith in people,” Tifa’s voice softened. “Hey. Look at me.”

Cloud did as she asked, his eyes meeting hers. The Mako had its own part to play in what friends and foes alike could see in Cloud’s irises, but the anger behind the blue and green was natural. _Too_ natural, for Tifa’s tastes.

“Did he come in here looking for trouble?” Tifa asked, placing her hands on her hips. “No. He came in, paid for his food, and left. If he was giving off bad vibes, then I’m sorry, but that’s not something I can kick someone out for.”

Cloud huffed. “Technically, you can kick out anyone you want. It’s your bar.”

Tifa’s eyes glistened. “Yeah, I could kick you out right now.” Upon his look of disbelief, she poked him in the chest. “Save the rest of the bar and myself the displeasure of witnessing all of your brooding unfold.” In good fun, she laughed. “Lighten up a little. Wanna have that drink your new friend bought you?”

Cloud’s breath shifted. A drink sounded nice, however…

Tifa gave a sound of mock surprise as additional gil was slid across the counter. Cloud’s hand slowly slid away from it, dropping into his lap, and she rolled her eyes. “This is the most unnecessary purchase I think you’ve ever made, Cloud Strife. And I’m not taking your money. When was the last time you had to _pay_ me for a drink?”

Cloud’s eyebrows furled as he thought back. “Three weeks ago?”

Tifa seemed to remember that night well, scoffing it off. “You were drunk. You seemed to forget a few different things that night. Like how we both balance the same checking book.”

Cloud shrugged. “Don’t remember that part.”

“Yeah, you were drunk.”

“Oh.” Cloud’s mouth straightened. “I don’t usually get that far along when having any of your drinks.”

“There’s a first time for everything, Cloud,” Tifa smiled, leaning forward with a smile on her lips. He liked it when they were like this. Him seated on the bar stool, hunched over, his arms folded in front of him, all while she would affectionately lean down to meet his eyes and he almost forgot his surroundings for a time. 

“Speaking of which,” Tifa went on, “we have that dinner still planned for tonight. In about, uh…” she swiveled around, glancing at the clock, “…about four hours.” She met his eyes again. “I’m excited for it. Are you?”

Cloud hadn’t really given it much thought, now that he was presented with the question. Of course, he always enjoyed sitting down to enjoy dinner with her and the kids, but…having strangers join the table? Strangers who lived next door and had their own premade impressions of him and Tifa?

“I guess so,” Cloud offered lamely, but he didn’t try adding anything to it. No use sugarcoating something you were even somewhat hesitant about. Still, he’d agreed with her the previous morning. After she brought him the suggestion, he said he wanted to go for it. Cloud Strife still dealt with his demons sometimes, but none of them were going to convince him to pull away from his family like that again. Never again.

“I think it’s still a shame you only got to talk with Jason and Maria for a few minutes,” Tifa frowned. “They seemed like a nice couple.”

Would she hate him for saying he felt a bit relieved when they left? “Decent guy, yeah.” Cloud shrugged. “Didn’t really talk to her much, though.” Because she seemed terrified as soon as he’d sat down at the table in a fresh pair of clothes, dumping his normal attire into the washing machine. Because, while she was good at hiding it, Maria was clearly feeling apprehensive about the thief and possible murderer that’d been roughly thrown around right before her eyes. Jason didn’t seem too fazed by it, though. He really only seemed to want to talk about the bike.

“Well, maybe we can have them over again sometime,” Tifa offered.

“I mean, there’s no rush to-“

“Yeah,” Tifa nodded quickly, biting her lip. “Yeah. We should spread these things out after tonight. I think we’d all get burned out after a while, including Marlene and Denzel. It’s good for them to meet new people, but…” Tifa trailed off, shaking her head. “Anyway. How about that drink?”

“I’ll have a Cosmo Canyon.”

“Atta boy.”

* * *

“Tifa!!!” Marlene’s voice rang throughout the bar. The girl got up from the window and hurried over to the stairs, peering up. “Tifaaa!”

“What is it?” Tifa’s voice called back as she came to the top of the steps. 

“The neighbors came out of their house and are coming over,” Marlene informed her, swinging her arms around. 

Tifa stiffened, her hands balling at her sides. “The Bistrows? They’re coming over already?”

“What’s the problem?” Cloud butted in, coming over to Tifa from where he’d been cooped up in his office. Tifa would have been in the mood to reprimand him for even entering such a room on his day off, but Cloud was stubborn til the end.

“They weren’t supposed to be over for another twenty minutes,” Tifa explained to him, rubbing her temples with one hand. “The food is still in the oven. I told Denzel to set the silverware on the table, but I wanted to at least come through with the broom real quick to-“

“You’ve swept that floor more than enough times.” Cloud wasn’t in the mood to laugh at the moment, but the mention did gain a small smile from Tifa. “If our neighbors are coming over early, they’d just better not expect the food on the table until the time we promised.”

“Yeah, but…” Tifa looked to Cloud for help, but upon seeing his relaxed shoulders and reassuring glance, she loosened up. “You’re right. I’m just worried about leaving a good impression tonight.”

Cloud felt a tinge of guilt. Maybe Tifa hadn’t meant to remind him of his abrupt and very late entrance at dinner the night before, but he understood why she’d be upset. At least in the case of Maria Rollingham, Cloud wasn’t exactly leaving the impression of a normal, loving father. ‘Impulsive ex-merc who delivers cryptic packages on a strange bike with hidden weapons inside’ would be more fitting.

“You will,” Cloud assured Tifa, resting a hand on the small of her back. He heard a small, comfortable sigh escape her lips before she nodded and began walking down the steps, leaving his hand behind. Oh well. It’d been a nice three seconds while they lasted.

“Should we have dressed up?” Tifa asked as she reached the bottom, her eyes scanning the bar thoroughly for something she may have missed. “I mean, our usual outfits aren’t anything too out of place, but what if they’re expecting a fancy dinner?”

“We promised dinner,” Cloud responded simply, folding his arms. “’Fancy’ was never part of the description.”

“And if they come in here dressed in tuxedos and elegant dresses?” Tifa asked.

“This is a bar,” Cloud scoffed. “In any case, we’d be the normal ones.”

“Hmm. Good point.” Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Marlene sprang to her feet. “No you don’t!” Tifa exclaimed, hurrying over to grab the girl by the shoulders and push her in the opposite direction. “Go find Denzel and make sure he doesn’t have dirt on his face or something.”

“But-“

“Go,” Tifa’s voice lowered a bit, but a smile was still present on her face. Turning to Cloud as Marlene walked away, she sighed. “You’re here this time. We’re already off to a good start, right?”

“Good enough, I guess.”

“Oh, stop. This’ll be fun, you’ll see.” Tifa finally reached out, grabbed the handle of the door, and pulled it open. “Hey guys, thanks for coming.”

A man with short, jet black hair stepped forward, nodding his head in greeting. Cloud looked him over carefully. Tifa said his name was Will, but all Cloud knew about him was that he used to work for a towing company. Linking her arm with Will’s was Will’s wife, Charlotte. Short brown hair fell just above her shoulders, tied into a ponytail. 

“Thanks for having us,” Will spoke, smiling at Tifa and Cloud as he walked inside. “I know we came over a bit early, but my in-laws are over for the weekend, and as much as I love them, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.”

Surprisingly, Charlotte was just nodding in agreement. “Having his parents over is equally as draining, too. In-laws can be pretty overwhelming, you know?”

Cloud blinked. No. He didn’t have in-laws. He couldn’t relate to these people on anything so far.

“I guess so,” Tifa offered awkwardly, thankfully saving Cloud from having to come up with a response of his own that most likely wouldn’t have come off as nice and non-judging as Tifa. She had always been much better at this part. “You can hang up your jackets over there, and the table is open for you to sit down while we wait for the food to finish getting ready. I hope that’s not a huge issue…?”

“Not at all,” Charlotte shook her head, unzipping her jacket as she spoke. “We’d just like to get to know our next-door neighbors a bit better first of all.”

Tifa sighed in relief. “Me too. Cloud and I are both more than happy to chat.” She tilted her head. “Right, Cloud?”

He didn’t respond immediately, which was what caused her eyes to slowly widen. Thankfully, Cloud acted upon the tension and nodded his head. “Mhm.”

As Cloud walked over to his seat beside Tifa, watching as their new visitors walked further inside, his senses went off and a sudden urge to fight filled him. His nails nearly dug into the wood of the chair he stood behind, his attention being taken fully by the third entrant. Greasy, uncombed blond hair. Uneven grey eyes. Lopsided nose. Ugly, crooked smile that showed off how many teeth he was missing. 

Cloud tensed up immediately, his instincts torn between ‘get between Tifa and the creep’ and ‘just sit down like a normal human being.’ After much hesitation, Cloud decided to simply stand there as he was, and not do anything.

“Oh, hey guys. Spiky,” the man laughed, pointing his fingers at Cloud with his hands held like guns, tilting them up and down with childlike amusement. Cloud had been faced with dozens – maybe hundreds – of guns pointed at his head. Finger guns weren’t a usual trigger, but when it came to this guy in particular, Cloud actually _flinched_. Tifa noticed.

“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise, eyeing the man. “I didn’t realize we were having a third guest.” Tifa’s intention was never to sound condescending or unfavorable, but it was understandable for her to sound just a _bit_ upset when an unwelcomed guest walked right through her door without asking. Cloud envied her patience.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Charlotte laughed nervously. “This is Titus. My brother.”

“When we heard that you were inviting the family over, we just assumed that…” Will started.

“…that it included your brother, too,” Tifa finished knowingly. “It’s alright. Are you also visiting your sister and brother-in-law for the weekend, Titus?” Her voice was sweet and understanding; a direct contrast to the cold glare Cloud had no doubt was now focused on Titus.

“Nah, I live with them,” Titus bellowed. He reached an arm around Charlotte suddenly, and even as the woman seemed to jump back in surprise and maybe even discomfort, Titus went on. “Been living under the same roof for almost two years now. Best two years of my life.”

From the look on Will’s face, Cloud wasn’t sure the feelings were reciprocated.

“Oh, I see,” Tifa nodded. “Well, that’s fine, I’m sure we’ve made more than enough food to feed everyone. I’ll go get an extra chair.” She then made her way around Cloud, making a B-line for a pair of fold-up chairs leaning against the wall. Cloud’s instincts triggered once again, and he held out an arm in front of Tifa, hindering her movement. She bumped into his arm with a soft “ _oof!”_ and looked up at him confusedly. Cloud tried his best to make up for the awkward motion by bringing his arm down so it was just his hand gently holding her upper arm. 

“I’ll get the chair,” he insisted, and before she could say a word, he shifted in front of her and began walking over to get the chair. Cloud couldn’t help but shift his eyesight over to Titus, who was watching the entire exchange with an odd look of intrigue. 

“Um…thank you, Cloud,” Tifa finally chirped after a silence that was a bit too long even for Cloud’s liking, and she tapped her fingers against the back of her chair. “Well, you guys can take a seat then. Wherever you like.”

Cloud was walking back with an extra chair under his arm when he saw Titus slide into a seat right beside Tifa. His footsteps grew quicker as he hurried to take the seat on Tifa’s other side, but Charlotte slipped in just a few seconds before he could reach it. The gap left for the extra chair was left nestled right between Will and Titus, and almost directly across from Tifa rather than beside.

_This sucks._

“We set up a ‘kids table’ over there,” Tifa explained to their guests, pointing out a fold-up table that was set up just a few feet away with two smaller chairs on each end. “When the kids come in, we’ll just have them sit over there. These bar tables don’t leave a whole lot of elbow room.”

“I heard you had kids, but I don’t think I’ve ever met them,” Will spoke, actually sounding quite interested. “Do they hang out at the park down the road a lot? My little cousin says he goes there sometimes.”

Tifa shook her head. “No. Both of them could probably get a bit more sun every day, but they’re usually content staying upstairs with their books and games. They do hang out with some friends on the weekend, though.”

“What are their names?”

“The girl is Marlene, and the boy is Denzel,” Tifa responded quietly, looking over her shoulder for the two kids. It was taking longer than usual for the two to get ready. “They should be out here soon.”

Cloud’s eyes shifted from Tifa’s calm features to Titus’ stupid grin. The man’s eyes glistened as if he was fascinated by something, watching Tifa intently while occasionally shifting his own attention to the door to the kitchen. Cloud’s left hand tightened into a fist against the thin tablecloth. It was disturbing enough to see Titus looking at Tifa like that, but if it came to the kids…

 _I left my sword upstairs,_ Cloud realized glumly. 

“I had no idea,” Titus suddenly blurted out, chuckling right after. His arms reached behind his head in a long stretch, leaving them crossed back there. 

“No idea of what?” Will asked slowly. Cloud took a bit of comfort in the fact that he wasn’t the only one majorly confused and disturbed.

“That Spiky lived here!” Titus grinned, clasping his hands together. “Seems like it was just this morning that I last saw him.”

_It was, go home, you’re drunk-_

“I feel kinda bad for getting on ya for hanging around the bartender now, though,” Titus went on, and Cloud noticed Tifa’s posture stiffen just a bit. She wasn’t liking where this was going either.

_Don’t bring it up, please don’t bring it up, if you bring it up, I swear to-_

“Could’ve just told me she was your woman, and I would’ve backed off,” Titus finished, sealing the deal with another stupid grin that spread across his face. Cloud didn’t bother looking at Titus, even as it felt like somehow the man was coming closer to him every second. Titus’ elbow knocked against the back of Cloud’s head, albeit gently but the touch was more than enough to get tip his swelling emotions over.

“She’s not my woman,” Cloud got out with gritted teeth, his face hardened and his eyes giving the tablecloth a death stare. In any other case, such as the now iconic amount of times the two friends had been teased by Barret, Yuffie, or even Cid, Cloud would simply give a death stare and let the moment pass. If it was Yuffie, maybe he’d stare for just a few seconds longer.

However, there was something about Titus that brought out an ugly part of Cloud. A part that he once was sure wasn’t part of the _real_ Cloud.

“Baby?” Titus offered, clearly not getting the hint. “Sugarplumb? Sweetie?”

“None of them,” Cloud’s voice dropped an octave lower. Now his eyes finally dared to leave the tablecloth and leave a lasting, cold impression on Titus. The man seemed to visibly falter, his bottom lip possibly even quivering, and Cloud counted it as a small victory. “Tifa’s her own person. She’s not _mine_.”

Charlotte began laughing nervously. “It’s okay. A lot of couples use cute little names for each other, but not all of them do.”

Cloud bit his tongue, not wanting to lash out at this woman, too. Unlike Titus, she didn’t make his blood boil. “I mean that Tifa isn’t _mine_. We’re not together. She’s…I’m…” Cloud raised his hands in defeat, looking back down at the table. “Forget it.”

“Oh,” Will voiced everyone else’s reaction quietly. “I’m sorry. I never meant to jump to a conclusion.”

“Its fine,” Cloud managed to bring his voice back up to a level that sounded far less aggressive and annoyed. Why was this getting him so worked up _now_? These weren’t the first people to come to such an assumption, nor would they be the last. It was to be expected from the day Cloud and Tifa both moved into the bar. As their livestyles changed but their companionship remained, there were always going to be people who got different impressions of the two. 

Cloud glanced up at Tifa, and felt something catch in his throat. She was watching him – seemingly had been for a while, judging by her centered focus – and her face wore a mix of emotions Cloud didn’t recognize on her. Her lips came apart just slightly, the bottom one hanging down sadly. The red of her eyes seemed even more noticeable with just how big and _hurt_ they looked. Hurt because of him? Hurt because of their circumstances?

Either way, Cloud wanted to take that hurt away, but the damage had been done. It wasn’t common to see Tifa looking sad or dejected on any of the occasions they had to debunk visitors’ theories about there being a relationship, but it had happened before. Cloud tried not to think much of it then, convincing himself that she was more so disappointed that she wasn’t leaving the impression she wanted on their customers. Tifa wasn’t the kind of girl to worry about relationships and boyfriends. Even at only 22 years old, she was one of the most mature and level-headed people Cloud knew. 

Was he just ignorant to the idea that, despite not voicing her interest, she still thought about things like that? A wave of embarrassment and shame fell over Cloud for a while, and his eyes went back down to the table for what felt like the tenth time now.

As if to rescue Cloud and Tifa from their plight, a timer began going off on the stove, signaling that the food was finally ready. Tifa practically bounded to her feet, and Cloud felt even worse knowing she was so glad to get away from the table. To get away from _him_. 

“That’s our food,” Tifa called over her shoulder as she went to get it, her voice taking on that sweet tone from before as if the earlier conversation had never happened. Cloud wished it was that easy for his own outward appearance to do that. To change on a dime.

Now, Cloud was left with the three strangers and an empty seat across from him. He didn’t feel nervous – no, that wasn’t the word he’d use ever since being a boy in Nibelheim – but perhaps “out of element” was a better way to describe his predicament. Being seated alongside three people who were clearly more outgoing and with much different personalities was enough to get Cloud thinking for a while. He hated sitting there in silence for so long when he had guests, and he assumed Tifa was equally as stressed out.

_She’s counting on me to leave a good impression. Not just for myself, but for her. For the kids._

“I’m sorry,” Cloud muttered, a bit quiet but at least loud enough for the guests to hear. He didn’t bother looking at any of them in particular, but as soon as he noticed their heads tilt towards him out of the corners of his eyes, Cloud continued. “That was…not how I meant for that to sound. You’re guests here, and it wasn’t right for me to lash out because of a simple misunderstanding.”

Cloud heard the sound of Tifa’s shoes squeaking against the floor, meaning she’d turned to look at him from behind the counter. Still, he didn’t bother looking back. Hopefully she was watching him with a smile. He’d never know unless he asked later.

“Oh, well that’s alright, pal,” Will’s voice grew a bit softer than before, and Cloud was surprised by the sudden hand that came to pat his shoulder fondly. Unlike the time with Titus earlier that day, Cloud didn’t mind the touch. It didn’t feel like Titus was giving him a condescending gesture or treating him like a child. It actually brought back memories of Barret.

“I’m sure you get a bit of pent up frustration delivering packages out there on the road all day,” Charlotte added, leaning forward across the table so she could be sure Cloud noticed her reassuring smile. “Heaven knows _I_ can let it out at unexpected times.”

Will snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

Small yet quick footsteps ushered in Marlene and Denzel, who came over with some of the plates of food. “Here you go,” Marlene cheered, seeming strangely happy to be serving someone food. Still, maybe she was often like this and Cloud was never home to notice. He hated how much guilt sat unattended in the pit of his stomach even when one of the kids was happy. Was this the cost for living a peaceful life?

_No. No! I’m not going to think like that anymore. You’ve been forgiven, Cloud. Move on._

After each of the plates were set out by Marlene and Denzel carefully set out the silverware, Tifa came over with the rest of the meal. After the cover was removed, everyone at the table was treated the alluring scent of homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Soft streams of heat still floated visibly above the meal.

“This all looks fantastic,” Will praised the barmaid and her two junior waiters. “This wasn’t too much of a hassle to put together for us, was it?”

“Not at all,” Tifa shook her head as she slid back into her seat. “Actually, it was Cloud and the kids who prepared most of it while I was working the bar.” Her eyes met Cloud’s, and he was beyond relieved that she was sending waves of gratitude and admiration rather than additional conflict over his previous comments. He’d have to do something about that later.

“Mmm!” Charlotte exclaimed after taking a bite of the potatoes. “ _Very_ good. Are you sure you aren’t just a whole family of master chefs?”

“Cloud makes the best green bean casserole,” Marlene called over from the other table in between her own bites. “Even Tifa agrees.”

Cloud shrugged. “I guess it’s one of my successful attempts.” It was after the silence that followed that he noticed something didn’t feel right. As everyone continued to dig into their food around him, Cloud glanced over at Titus. The man was unusually quiet, only taking slow, small bites. Had he said anything since Cloud’s outburst?

Oh. Of course that was why. Cloud tried to feel just a bit bad about it.

The dinner continued for an hour and a half. Charlotte and Will were both talkers, thankfully seeming to move past the small scene Cloud made before and starting up new conversation. Questions and topics ranged from “how long have you two known each other?” to “would you ever consider expanding the bar past one location?” Tifa seemed to have barely thought of the idea before, shrugging her shoulders and assuring the couple that she was content with the business she was already providing for the people of Edge. That was enough for her, and so it was enough for Cloud.

As the clock ticked past 10, Cloud rose to his feet, walking over to the kids’ table. 

“You taking them to bed?” Tifa asked from behind him.

Marlene’s eyes widened in fear, shaking her head vigorously. “No, Cloud, I can’t go to bed! I’m not even tired!”

“Try counting Chocobos,” Charlotte joked.

It made no difference to the girl. “Cloud, please! I’ll wake up extra early tomorrow and, uhm…do all the dishes! Yeah!”

Cloud sighed, but was unable to mask the smile that spread across his lips. Bending down, he grabbed Marlene and scooped her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest while she helplessly flailed around. “You don’t really get a choice. It’s an hour past your bedtime already.”

“But, _Cloud_ -“

“No,” Cloud responded simply, and he could hear Tifa giggle from behind him.

“Listen to Cloud, sweetie,” she spoke soothingly yet with a strong amount of seriousness in her tone. “You need plenty of sleep. You too, Denzel.”

“Yeah,” the boy groaned, but was willing to get up on his own and walk up the stairs to the top floor. Cloud exchanged a look of amusement with Tifa before following after Denzel, with Marlene still muttering quiet, muffled protests against the fabric of his shirt. As he disappeared up the steps, Will grinned.

“He makes a good dad.”

“Hmm?” Tifa turned, and then her expression softened. “Oh. Yeah. Would never have seen it in him before taking in the kids, but Cloud’s always been full of surprises.” Standing to her own feet then, she offered to take the guests’ dishes. “I’ll just take these for you.”

“Thank you kindly,” Charlotte nodded her thanks as she handed her plate and silverware over. “Once again, it was very delicious.”

“I’m glad.” 

“We should do this again sometime,” Will suggested, standing up along with Charlotte and pushing both of their chairs against the table. “I had a great time getting to know you and Cloud.”

Tifa felt warm inside. This is what she had wanted, after all – to have actual friendships with the people she lived close to, _with_ Cloud there with her. If only life could be like this more often, maybe it would help the uneasy twinge in her chest whenever work would pull her makeshift family apart for more than twelve hours at a time. “I agree! We should try for dinner next month, when the weather is a bit nicer. Maybe we could eat outside then.”

“Sounds good to me,” Will nodded. As he was about to say goodbye, a sound at the bottom of the steps announced Cloud’s entrance, and he looked around Tifa to give the ex-merc a small wave. “Thanks again, Cloud. Your hospitality is really appreciated.”

Cloud seemed surprised at first, but after a moment he nodded back. “Glad to have you.”

After a few more comments, the three guests turned to leave, putting on their jackets and heading out the door. As it closed, Tifa let out a pleased sigh of relief. Her shoulders slumped, her back resting against the table. “You got the kids in bed pretty fast,” she observed, not making eye contact with Cloud but not seeming to be avoiding him either.

“Yeah. Marlene was more tired than she let on,” Cloud explained as he considered whether or not he should step a bit closer. “As soon as she hit the pillow, she was out in seconds.”

Tifa laughed softly. “Some things never change.”

Cloud swallowed hard. _Like this unsettled tension between us._

“Anyway,” Tifa started, breaking him out of his thoughts, “I need to get these dishes washed.”

“I’ll do them,” Cloud volunteered quickly, hoping he didn’t seem too eager.

Tifa finally locked eyes with Cloud, appearing thankful for the offer, but shook her head. “You already spent the day watching the kids and preparing dinner. You should get some rest.” Her voice slightly cracked at the end, something Cloud never heard out of her unless she was…

 _Upset._ Tifa was trying to stay strong as always, hiding whatever was bothering her. Cloud hated it, especially when it came to something he did or said, but then again…hadn’t he been the same way? Memories of the Geostigma and sleeping in a cot alone in Aerith’s church sent unpleasant feelings straight to Cloud’s heart. 

He had practically snapped when Titus brought up the idea of them being a couple. Tifa wasn’t his woman, but she wasn’t just his _friend_ either. Both of them knew and acknowledged that years ago, even if they were both equally as bad when it came to voicing those feelings. Maybe Charlotte and Will hadn’t noticed how hurt and disappointed Tifa looked after Cloud’s outburst, but he had. It was an expression he never wanted to see on her again, especially when it was caused by his own impulsive reaction.

“Tifa,” Cloud breathed, the name barely escaping his lips but at least getting her attention. “I need to…”

“Need to what?” she asked, and by her hopeful eyes, he could tell she already knew what he wanted to say. At least she didn’t expect any less. That was comforting.

A knock at the door interrupted them, and Cloud looked between the door and Tifa several times before walking over and pulling it open. Titus peered in with wide eyes, yet seeming quite a bit more solemn than Cloud remembered them.

“Ey, uh…can I talk with you, Spiky?”

Cloud let out a small puff of air at the nickname, but nodded anyway. “You want to come inside? Where’s your sister and brother-in-law?”

“They went on without me. I need to talk with you outside.” Titus peered over Cloud’s shoulder at Tifa before adding, “but just you.”

Cloud silently agreed and followed Titus outside, shutting the door behind him. “It’s cold out here, Titus, so make it quick.”

“I was, uh… _wrong_ to call Tifa your woman back in there.” Titus spoke with more sincerity than Cloud had heard from the greasy-haired blond since he entered the bar earlier that day. “You know I was just teasing you two, and didn’t mean anything by it. Right? I hope so.”

Cloud folded his arms. “Alright. I believe you.”

“Good,” Titus nodded. “Because…well, because it wasn’t until after I heard more about you that I realized something funny.” He gave Cloud that toothy grin again, but this time it somehow seemed less obnoxious. “You and I aren’t so different, Cloud. We both ain’t married, both ain’t got a girlfriend, both probably _could_ live different lives on our own someplace else. But we don’t. We both have family who took us in, and accepted us. I know Tifa and the kids aren’t your _real_ family, but…”

“I get it,” Cloud almost whispered, his head tilting upwards as he watched the stars. “Your sister just cares that much, right?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Titus snickered, appearing nostalgic. “Helped pay for my first apartment before that didn’t work, set aside some cash for me to go to trade school…but anyway, that’s not important. I see you and Tifa in there, the way she reacts when someone links the two of you together versus when you denied it.”

Cloud felt the aching feeling again. “Yeah…”

“Whether she’s important to you in that kind of way or another way…” Titus shrugged, “…I’d say what you’ve got in her is pretty special. A woman who serves good brandy is a nice plus, too.”

Cloud rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, I don’t really remember where I wanted to go with this, but have a good night, Spiky.” Titus turned to leave. Cloud stood there silently as the man walked down the street back to his house, and after the door was closed behind him, Cloud still stood thoughtfully.

_Maybe the guy’s only half as bad as I thought._

* * *

Cloud Strife couldn’t sleep. It was nothing new, especially when the loud sounds from making deliveries and the adrenaline of occasional combat wouldn’t let his heart stop beating fast. He found himself as he often did, sitting on the edge of his bed, his boots firmly planted on the wood floor and his hands rested on his knees. He felt a cold shudder run down his back, and his arms stiffened a bit as he shook it off.

Cloud frowned as he realized that, once again, the heater in the bedroom wasn’t turning on when it was supposed to. It was naturally chilly on a night in Edge, but at this time of the year, heating was essential. His mind went back to the various ideas he’d presented to Tifa. Painting, redecorating, replacing; it’d be at least a week-long process, and that was assuming he managed to come home from work with enough hours left in the day to get anything done. 

Heating would have to come first. Even though Cloud would love to replace the ugly rotted wood and brighten up the gloomy space a little, neither he nor Tifa could properly enjoy it if they were shivering all night under five different layers of blankets.

Cloud made his way over to the space heater, sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed so he could see the issue more easily. He’d have to grab a specific screwdriver to remove the cover – hopefully he’d find one in the toolkit downstairs – and from then, he’d have to hope whatever wasn’t working could be repaired without special equipment. Cloud sighed and began getting to his feet when he heard the door slowly creak open. A sliver of light slowly grew larger and fell across the room, falling on the side of Cloud’s face for a moment. Finally, footsteps accompanied a stretching shadow before Tifa walked over.

“Cloud? What are you doing?” she asked, her voice already threatening to break into a yawn. She needed sleep more than he did. “I sent you up here so you’d actually get some rest.”

Cloud glanced over his shoulder at the woman, quickly noting that she’d changed into an oversized T-shirt and shorts – her more “lazy” set of pajamas – and turned back to the heater. “We’re both going to freeze to death unless I get this thing working. The kids’ rooms are fine, but it’s only going to get worse in here as the night goes on.”

Tifa wriggled her bare toes against the wood floor, shivering a bit at how cold it felt. “So…does it look like an easy fix?”

Cloud grimaced. “No. I haven’t even taken the cover off yet, but it’s making those same sounds again.”

“The ones it was making last month when we had that power outage?”

“Yep.”

“I see,” Tifa’s voice grew quieter, her arms wrapping around to hug herself from the cold. She looked around the room for a bit, noticing Cloud’s untouched bed, and sighed. “I don’t want you staying up until three in the morning working on that. You should go to bed.”

Cloud shook his head. “Just…go to sleep without me, Tifa. Really, I’ll be fine.”

She made no sound of response for so long that Cloud finally dared to look back and see that she was watching him with stubborn eyes, her lips sealing together in a frown. “I’m not going to bed until you do.”

Had he heard that right? “Huh?”

“If you’re going to stay up all night working on that heater, then so am I,” Tifa declared confidently, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. Her feet rested close to where Cloud was seated at the heater between both of the beds, but she tried to shift away just a bit. “You’re the tech wiz of the two of us, but I’ve tackled repairs on other stuff before. Let me help.”

Cloud’s mouth opened in protest, but Tifa saw it coming already and shook her head.

“I’ve made up my mind, Cloud. Don’t push me away.”

Something about the way she said that last part caused Cloud’s heart to sink. Had he seen a glimmer of sadness in her carmine eyes for just a moment? The room was too dark for him to tell. As if reading his mind, Tifa scooted herself off of her bed and walked over to the other end of the room. “I’ll grab us a flashlight. You still keep it in your sock drawer, right?”

Cloud found it in himself to chuckle. “Yeah, it’s still in there.”

Tifa came over with the trinket moments after, coming to sit right beside Cloud so closely that their knees touched. He tried not to think of it too much. There was a narrow space between their beds. She was just making it easy for the both of them to access the heater.

Tifa flicked the light on and shined it at the heater, making a humming sound. “So we need a screwdriver, yeah?”

Cloud nodded. “Not just any screwdriver, though. It has to have a smaller head. Something to fit these screws.”

Tifa leaned to the left and almost as soon as her arm darted under her bed, it came back out dragging a small box with it. As Tifa placed the box in front of them, Cloud’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You keep tools under your bed?”

“Had one in the old bar long before I had you around to fix things for me,” Tifa smirked, flipping the lid open and revealing the sorted wrenches, screwdrivers and other assorted tools. “I’ll be honest, though; I’ve only used these like…” she squinted down at a wrench in thought, “…twice? I think it was so I could fix the door hinges when some drunk guy nearly tore them off the wall. And the other time was so I could fix one of Denzel’s toys.”

Cloud didn’t recall that part about door hinges, but he let it slide. “Well, that screwdriver on the bottom left looks like it might be the one I need.” He gestured with his thumb. “Closest to you.”

“Got it,” Tifa nodded, pulling the tool out and dropping it into Cloud’s hand. As he turned to start removing the screws, her weight gently pressed against him from the side, and Cloud tensed in response. She wasn’t saying anything about it, so it hadn’t been an accident, right? He decided to keep working, but couldn’t help but notice as Tifa’s head rested on his shoulder.

She wasn’t normally like this. Neither was he. They could be touchy, sometimes spurred by the influence of her signature drinks, sometimes not. Even then, Tifa wasn’t usually so openly affectionate. She was tired, right? That must have been it.

So Cloud continued working like that, trying not to think too deeply about how he could often feel the shape of her cheekbone press into his shoulder when she yawned, bringing her hand up to her mouth to cover it. Her breath was almost right in his ear, so soothing and gentle. Her leg wedged itself up just a bit closer against his.

After several minutes of working in quiet, Cloud noticed Tifa’s shoulders slump beside him, and he stopped his work, turning to her. “Tifa.”

“… _nyugh?”_

“Tifa, you’re falling asleep.” Cloud sighed.

“Wha? No, sorry, I’m just…” she broke off into a yawn, not bothering to muffle the sound this time. “…I’m awake, Cloud, don’t worry. I’m here to help.” Her eyes were half-lidded and her voice was tiny. She sounded as if she were speaking from a distant place.

“You’re just sitting here,” Cloud pointed out, although by now, he didn’t really mind. Even with a few of her stray hairs tickling his neck, it felt comforting to feel her close. “You should get some sleep.”

“Not. Without. You,” she pressed, extenuating each word dramatically before fully closing her eyes. Cloud tried not to laugh at how quickly she defeated her own stance, slightly readjusting his sitting position to let her more easily rest beside him. 

“Tifa?”

No response.

“Tifa?” Cloud quietly groaned, shaking his head. 

“I’m not asleep,” Tifa spoke up, her eyes opening to look up at his. “Just resting my eyes for a few minutes.”

“You’re going to crash way sooner than I can finish working on this,” Cloud said.

“Then talk to me so I’ll stay awake,” she spoke softly, almost sending a shiver down Cloud’s back with just how close her voice really was. “Talk about today.”

“We had the same day,” Cloud chuckled quietly.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it. What’d you think of dinner?”

Cloud searched for an answer as he removed the last screw, and then pulled the cover all the way off to place on the floor. “It was relaxing.” He could practically feel Tifa roll her eyes beside him.

“For who? You?”

“Yeah, me.”

“No. Maybe for the kids and for our guests, but not for you,” Tifa sighed. “I worry about you, Cloud. More than I care to say aloud, I’ll admit. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, then I completely understand.”

“No, no, I…” Cloud took a deep breath, his eyes focused on all of the heater’s internals. As he ran a slow finger along the inside of a metal slit, he continued. “I want to make this work, Tifa. You shouldn’t have to stop having friends over because of me.”

Tifa hummed again beside him. “So you’re not denying that you feel uncomfortable, then.”

“I’m saying that it shouldn’t matter what-“

“-what your opinion is, I know,” Tifa spoke, her voice thinning. “Do you remember what you told me a long time ago, when Sephiroth showed us the day Nibelheim burned? Right before you had a breakdown and…y’know…”

“No matter what anyone else says to me, it’s your opinion that counts,” Cloud repeated as if he’d said it yesterday. 

“Right. Well, I feel the same way. About you, I mean,” Tifa laughed quietly. “Maybe I was uncertain before, when you weren’t all _you_ , but I’ve valued your thoughts and feelings above all else ever since we fell into the Lifestream.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” Tifa nodded. “Sorry I never got around to saying it before. But I’ve found that, between us, actions often speak louder than words. Maybe I’ve depended on those actions to do the talking a bit _too_ much.”

Cloud nodded as he pulled out a few metal pieces from the heater to take a closer look at them. “I want to be honest and straightforward with you.”

“Me too,” Tifa nodded, nestling into his shoulder again. “From the moment you feel unsure about something, I want to _know_ it. Playing guessing games has gotten old.”

They both laughed together, and Cloud found himself grinning wider than he had in a while. “So, we’re still taking a break from having guests over then?”

“Yeah.” Tifa’s hair teased Cloud’s skin again. “Besides, we can’t exactly afford to keep doing this all the time. I’m fine if Yuffie or Vincent come over…”

“But we can’t keep having strangers over after closing the bar,” Cloud finished for her. 

“Right.” Tifa craned her neck to take a closer look at the component in Cloud’s hands, watching as his fingers toyed around with several different sections. Occasionally, he’d reach into her toolbox for something else. “How much longer do you think it’ll be until you’re done with that?”

“Oh, so now it isn’t _us_ working on the heater anymore?”

“I give in,” Tifa surrendered, smiling into Cloud’s shoulder. Her hand came around to gently grab a bit of his shirt. “You’ve clearly been doing all the work. It’d be selfish to take credit for any of it.”

“You handed me the screwdriver,” Cloud reminder her.

“Oh yeah, I handed that to you with _all_ the strength I had, believe me,” Tifa teased. “Make fun of me all you want, but I was actually just stealing your body heat.” She said it as if she was admitting to a serious crime. “You should wear thicker clothes.”

“You’re one to talk,” Cloud snorted.

“Fair enough. How much longer will this take?”

“Maybe another half hour?”

“I’ll grab blankets.”


	3. Dinner for Two (this time I'm staying)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cloud wants dinner for two...

It was three and a half weeks since having dinner with the Bistrows. Semi-warm weather had finally returned to Edge, changing the objective for most homes from “get the heater working fast” to “get the air conditioning ready ahead of time.” It would still be several months until a day when it’d be hot enough for air conditioning, but it never hurt to stay prepared.

Seventh Heaven, fortunately, was benefiting from the better weather. Now that fewer people were likely to stay cooped up in their homes all day, the bar welcomed people in like a beam of light that attracted flies. Eventually, business had become so overwhelming that Cloud took the day off of deliveries for a few days, quickly noticing that there was far too much for Tifa to do on her own. Eventually, both Barret and Yuffie had stopped by periodically to help out as well, leaving Cloud opportunities to still make money.

As Cloud and Tifa practically danced around behind the bar one day, tiptoeing around each other to grab drinks and different dishes, it was almost like they were back in Scrap Boulevard, running around in no particular direction to get tasks done. The biggest difference, of course, was that they were tackling drinks instead of rodents. 

“Stuffed crust pizza for Angelica!” Tifa called with one hand cupped around the side of her mouth. As the customer came forward, Tifa slid it forward, bid her a good day, and quickly moved on to the next order. “We’ve got a Sunset Heights for Darren?” She held up a glass full of gold-yellow liquid, glancing at it herself before shaking her head and turning to Cloud. “Oh, for the love of – Cloud!”

He tilted his head towards her, looking up from where he was seasoning a plate of fries. 

“This isn’t takeout, I’m getting all mixed up,” she groaned, holding her head. “Please take this over to the gentleman at the table near the left window. Over there?” Tifa pointed in that direction, and Cloud quickly gave a confident nod. As soon as the drink left her hands and she was sure that Cloud was going in the right direction, Tifa went back to reading off orders.

“Hey, bar lady!” one particular drinker on one of the bar stools motioned for Tifa to come over, and she reluctantly did so, putting the orders on hold. “I asked for a Gold Chocobo, like, ten minutes ago.”

“So sorry,” Tifa felt her shoulders cave in instinctively. “I think I have that ready around back. Please, just give me another minute.”

The man made a gruff sound, either of relief or frustration – Tifa couldn’t decipher – and turned away from her.

 _Just another happy day at the bar,_ Tifa thought bitterly to herself. It wasn’t the customers’ faults that orders were being mixed up or accidentally neglected, it was _hers_ for not establishing that capacity limit that the fire department recommended when she first opened up. Business had been so slow for almost the entirety of her first year that having too many people to serve at once seemed like an impossible scenario. Now, here she was with only Cloud to act as a second pair of arms, as customer’s filed in and out sporadically. It was becoming too much.

“Put your foot down,” Tifa heard Cloud whisper in her ear, and it took a few moments for her to register that he was behind her and turn to look at him. He appeared concerned and a bit worn out from his own hustling around, his right arm coming around so his hand could grasp her bare shoulder. Tifa made an audible humming sound at the contact without thinking much about it. It felt nice.

“What do you mean?”

Cloud gestured with his other hand around the bar, shaking his head in disbelief. “You need to put your foot down, Tifa. Close the bar early or, in the very least, have some of these people wait their turn outside.”

Tifa’s eyes widened despite seeing a good deal of sense in Cloud’s recommendation. “I can’t do that _now,_ after letting everyone in already, can I?”

Cloud showed no amount of concern for that part of it, both of his arms folding across his chest. “This is a bar and restaurant, not a community pool. If you’re swamped with orders, the least these people can do is make an orderly line that extends _past_ the door. Just look at this; there’s a bunch of people just standing wherever they want before they’ve even made any orders.”

Tifa bit her bottom lip nervously. “I know it’s getting a bit chaotic, but…maybe we should just wait it out for the rest of today and set up some new rules tomorrow?”

Cloud’s face softened, and she could see him starting to consider it. Unfortunately, with Cloud being Cloud, he still shook his head. “If you’re worried about hurting people’s feelings, then I’ll just do it.” He began stepping away to come around and in front of the bar, and Tifa followed closely behind, reaching out to grab him by the shirt. 

“Cloud, don’t-“

“This is getting out of control,” Cloud argued.

“You think I don’t see that? I’ve had to deal with crowds like this a few times before.” Memories of having Barret escort half of the drunkards in the old bar by force came to mind. 

“This big?” Cloud raised an unconvinced brow.

“Well…not quite this big…”

Cloud shrugged Tifa off gently but with purpose, causing her to lose grip on the fabric of his shirt and stand there helplessly as he faced the center of the room. “Can I have your attention, everyone?” Cloud’s voice rang throughout the establishment loud enough for anyone to hear, but not everyone turned to pay him any mind. Upon this assessment, Cloud cleared his throat and knocked his fist against a table that was somehow empty, as if he were knocking on a door. 

The room grew silent, and Tifa froze. This could go any number of ways.

“As you can see, we have a lot more diners in here than usual. Because our staff is small, and we can only serve so many people at a time, I need to set some new standards in place.” Cloud’s eyes scanned the room, seeming to Tifa as if he was making individual eye contact with every single person before continuing. “No more than half of you should be allowed inside the bar at a time. If you come here and notice a full bar, I request that you wait outside.”

The bar was full of whispers and quiet comments. Some people still looked at Cloud with either understanding or resentment, while others looked away to exchange gossip with others. 

“These changes are taking full effect immediately, so…get on with it,” Cloud finished, not intending to come off so blunt at the end, but still getting his point across. As he turned back to Tifa, seeing a mixture of appreciation and reluctance in her expression, he hoped he could just leave it at that and not have any further problems. Of course, with his luck, it wasn’t enough to make all of the diners quietly take a slice of humble pie and leave.

“Well, I’ve been here since this early morning!” One man cried from where he was seated across the room. “Most of the rest of the people came in here far later than I did. Why should I leave?”

A few sounds of agreement followed his response, and others joined in.

“Are you only allowing drinks?”

“Why should the people who sit around here for hours for no reason get to stay when I can’t?”

“This is a bar. I give you my money, and I get to stay.”

“Who are you to make changes here, Delivery Boy?”

“Yeah! What about what Tifa thinks of this?”

The dark-haired woman let out a long, tired sigh before coming to stand beside Cloud, her chin held high. “Cloud reflects my feelings on this issue, alright? And I don’t care if he isn’t always working in here, he still deserves the same respect that you give me. Please, I won’t force anyone out right at this moment, but I will need you all to stay only in moderate amounts. From this point onward, I _will_ need to send some people outside if it gets too busy in here.” Suddenly, as if she hadn’t noticed all of the eyes on her before, Tifa blushed nervously, tipping her head down a bit. “Cloud’s word stands, okay?”

There were still some sounds of frustration, but Tifa smiled in relief as a dozen and a half diners quickly got up from their seats, nodded their thanks, and left. A few more left out of anger, showing off their middle fingers as they left. While the gesture sent an uncomfortable feeling through Tifa – surprising her, since she’d been on the receiving end of it many times before – Cloud just made chuckled and returned to work.

“Almost like dealing with kids, huh?”

Tifa was confused by the question at first, entering behind the bar counter along with Cloud. Her hands fell under the sink as she let the warm water clear away the tingling feeling in her palms. “I’d honestly take Marlene and Denzel on their _worst_ days over a bar full of grown men and women.” Making sure her voice was lowered, she added, “But don’t tell the guys behind you that I said that.”

Cloud turned his head, noticing the line of men seated on the bar stools, and shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes you just can’t be nice, Tifa. If you just made it a suggestion to leave, no one would have. They’d put on warm smiles and act like they cared, but they’d still sit around drinking booze.”

“Cloud!” Tifa exclaimed under a hushed breath, pulling him to the sink along with her. “You’re walking a dangerous line here. Can we please talk about this _after_ we close?”

His mouth quirked a bit in amusement. “Alright, because you asked, I will. I think you should close early, though.”

Tifa scoffed. “Really now? Cloud, we need to be making money.”

“I think we can afford it,” Cloud mused, mimicking something she’d said weeks before when convincing him to take a day off. “Just keep things going for another hour, and then we’ll have dinner. No guests, just us.”

Tifa liked that idea more than she liked to admit. Shutting everything down early, leaving the dishes and cleanup for later, and having a peaceful dinner. Maybe she’d play some music, too, and put on a nice dress for the occasion. She’d convince Cloud to dress up, too, maybe in an ironed dress shirt and pants. She was certain that he still had a pair folded somewhere in the depths of his dresser, collecting dust from years of never being worn. But he’d look good in it, wouldn’t he? She wished she knew which of her dresses he liked the most, or if he was ever fond of seeing her in makeup. Was that too much just to have dinner in the bar they lived in? Maybe he’d see right through her and say it was overkill…

Oh wait. “You mean with the kids, don’t you?” Tifa asked hesitantly, unable to hide a bit of disappointment in her tone. 

Cloud nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Just us, as in the four of us.” He smiled at her obliviously, reaching around her to grab a clean glass. As he turned away from her, carefully pouring a drink for another diner, he spoke again before she could cover up her assumptions. “Unless you had other plans?”

Tifa cleared her throat, straightening herself and trying her best to act cool-headed. “No, it was your idea to close early, after all.” She smiled, knowing it was selfish to feel upset at the thought of a family dinner. This was a good thing, right? 

“So it was,” Cloud nodded, sliding the full glass down to a customer down the length of the bar. “I was thinking we could watch a movie or something after. We’ve still got some leftover mac’n’cheese in the fridge, right?”

“Mac’n’cheese? What would…” Tifa cut herself off quickly. Of course he meant leftovers. He was talking about having a normal dinner, at their normal table, in their normal clothes. Images of dining with Cloud by candlelight with him wearing fancy clothes were still swirling around in the back of Tifa’s mind, and she knew she needed to get rid of them. Cloud was being genuine, wanting to eat dinner with his family a bit earlier so he could watch a movie with the kids and her. _That’s sweet,_ Tifa felt bad having to remind herself. _You should be appreciative, not stand here hiding your disappointment because he didn’t have something planned just for you…_

Tifa felt sick. Since when did she start encountering situations with this mindset? Since when did her face grow warm and her heart sink whenever the opportunity to be alone with him presented itself and he’d make it a group event instead? 

_It’s been like that ever since you two became comfortable with where you’re at now. You’ll sleep in the same room and be parents to the same kids but you don’t have the guts to properly establish your complicated, undefined relationship._

Tifa frowned as a heavy thought came to her. Was Cloud waiting for her?

“Tifa?” Cloud’s voice brought Tifa back to the living world. She blinked several times before realizing how much closer he’d gotten to her, his Mako-tinted eyes looking her over with concern. As much concern as he _normally_ made visible, anyway. “You alright?”

Tifa nodded. “Mhm…”

“You were just _staring_ at me,” Cloud said it as if he’d never expected it in a million years. Tifa gulped. Had she really been _staring_ at him that whole time? “Not sure if you were actually looking _at_ me, but you were definitely deep in thought,” Cloud explained, turning away to prepare another drink. “You aren’t upset that I made that announcement, are you? It was like I could see you mentally counting the amount of money we’d miss out on by closing early.” He was joking, of course, but it still stung Tifa a bit. He was quickly assuming blame, as always. It was sweet, but not what she needed to hear at the moment.

“Cloud, _no_ ,” Tifa emphasized the word, wiping her palms across the air in front of her. “I’m not upset. It…it was a good idea, actually. Maybe I just don’t know when to pull out when it starts feeling overwhelming.”

“That’s what I’m here for, I guess,” Cloud commented, and she smiled. Usually, their roles were switched, with her having to _make_ him back down from a challenge, if only for a time. Long nights of work. Dealing with annoying punks that waltzed into the bar. Staying up late to work on a crappy heater while insisting that she just go to sleep without him. Tifa almost added Geostigma to the mental list, but reminded herself bitterly that she had only known about and confronted Cloud about it at the very end, weeks that felt like years after he hid away in Aerith’s church.

Now, he was here. Healthy, working, and occasionally smiling. That felt like enough most days, so why did she still feel so discontent? So unfulfilled?

 _Selfish,_ a voice in Tifa’s head spat at her. _He’s finally home, and you’re being **selfish.**_ She watched him pour another drink, doing so with more care and precision than he even executed in combat. He’d learned well these past few years from her, and even though spills or incorrect orders were still an occurrence, Cloud was more than capable of handling the bar while she was away. 

They’d done this together, right? Before, he could barely flip pancakes when they’d first set up shop. She’d giggle and gently push him away, showing him how to watch, and know, and _wait._ She’d taught him a lot these past few years, and he’d done the same for her. He’d shown her how to balance the weight of overly large swords, and even helped slowly ease her to the point where she was comfortable riding Fenrir on her own. In some small yet effective ways, Cloud had even taught Tifa how to be stern when she needed to be, not that she couldn’t be before, but the extra push was helpful. It was funny how much of his lessons also applied to parenting.

“Uhm, Tifa?” Cloud asked, and she watched him scratch the back of his neck as he looked down at an empty glass and a few containers. “I’m a bit confused on this one.”

Tifa laughed. So maybe he wasn’t one hundred percent capable of taking over the bar after all. 

“I’ll just take care of this one,” she insisted, and Cloud moved aside without issue. “Can you get the chicken wings on the counter?” He nodded and walked off, and Tifa called back over her shoulder as another thought came back to her. “And the blue cheese? You need to put it into those small black-“

“-plastic cups, yeah,” Cloud’s dry, disinterested tone earned another laugh from Tifa. “On it.”

* * *

Cid Highwind had his head nearly sandwiched between the ground and an aircraft engine when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. The engineer gruffly muttered something indiscernible to the open air, his knee buckling up painfully against metal as he moved to inch his way out from underneath. After bumping his head on the way out and muttering something else, Cid sat down with his back pressed against the plane he was working on. “Customers always have the worst timing…”

He pulled the phone out of his pocket reluctantly, staring down at the screen with beady eyes like something inside it would jump out at him. Upon reading the caller ID, however, Cid relaxed and chuckled to himself. He accepted the call quickly, bringing the phone to his ear. “If it isn’t the delivery boy himself. What do you need fixed this time, huh? I told you – I don’t do bikes.”

Cloud made no sound of amusement on the other end of the line. _“I know it’s been a while, Cid, and we were always meaning to have you over-“_

“Mhm. How soon, then? Two birthdays from now? Marlene’s high school graduation, perhaps?” Cid snickered.

_“You’re already being difficult.”_

“Ah, you know I’m just messin’ with ya, Cloud!” Cid kept chuckling as he stood to his feet, his boots kicking at the dirt beneath him. He raised a hand, waving for a few associates to come and clean up his tools. “I’ve been trying to slow down on the drinking anyhow, you know that. Coming back to the bar would be walking past the point of no return, I promise you.”

_“Whatever you say, Cid.”_

“No, seriously! The watered down crap I’ve been swallowing lately can’t even compare to Tifa’s drinks. Can’t argue with the results, though.” Cid patted his stomach a bit, knowing full well that Cloud wouldn’t see it anyway. “I feel lighter these days, bud. Who knew that letting off all the alcohol and cussin’ could help an old guy like me feel some peace?”

Cloud paused. _“That’s great news, Cid. Glad to hear it.”_

Cid shook his head, playing with a well-used tooth pick between his teeth. “You didn’t call me to hear about how my self-control is doing. What’s the real issue?”

_“I need some advice. Or…I don’t really know.”_

“Advice? From me?” Cid chuckled. “Cloud, look, I’m truly flattered, but I don’t believe for a _second_ that you’ve come to me first. Was Barret too stubborn? How about Vincent? I hear he’s been helping you out a bit lately with the muggers.”

_“No, I didn’t bother calling them.”_

Cid waited for another word to be added in, but it never came. “…yet?”

_“No, I’m not going to call them. I need your advice on this.”_

“Not even Yuffie? Nanaki?” Cid’s mouth hung open a bit in mock surprise. Again, Cloud would never see it, but maybe that was just a bit of Cid’s natural personality. “Although, I guess Yuffie really couldn’t tell you much about anything other than s _tealing_. You know, she claims to have gotten better about it, but I’m missing _four_ ice materia, Cloud. _Four_.”

 _“Cid, I didn’t go to them either,”_ Cloud was practically groaning over the phone, and Cid just found it kinda funny. _“I need a different perspective on something. Thought maybe your view would be a bit…different.”_

“Well, spit it out already, Cloud, I’m getting bored.”

There was a long, agonizing silence before Cloud’s voice rang across the line. _“My heater is having issues again.”_

Cid curled his tongue. “That’s what you called me about?”

_“Yes.”_

“Spring is almost upon us.”

_“…yes.”_

Cid let out a long, elongated sigh and tapped his forefinger against the back of his phone. “This about someone I know, right?”

_“That’s not the reason I called-“_

“But it is, right?”

Another pause. _“Yes.”_

“Then just be honest and not start talking sh- I mean, _crap_ about heaters,” Cid laughed, quickly covering up his almost-swear. “You couldn’t have at least asked about your bike? I would have believed you for a bit longer.”

_“You already said you don’t do bikes.”_

“Hasn’t stopped you before,” Cid retorted, shaking his head. “Listen, Cloud, I’m a bit held up with work, so if you’re not gonna get straight to the point…” he clicked his tongue. “Gonna have to hang up.” Cid knew, like everyone else who knew the ex-merc, that Cloud wasn’t a “people person.” It wasn’t always easy getting him to open up to people, because that was just the way he was. Even after taking a dip in the Lifestream – to put it simply – and getting rid of the ex-SOLDIER persona that had poisoned his mind for years, Cloud’s personality was still reserved. Still closed off from most people.

_“It’s about Tifa.”_

“There ya go,” Cid’s voice raised a bit. “Had a feeling it was about her.”

 _“That’s why you didn’t ask if I had spoken to Tifa, but you brought up Yuffie and the others.”_ Cid could hear Cloud quickly piecing it together.

“You catch on quick.”

_“All part of the job.”_

Cid laughed confusedly. “Which job you talking about again? Your current one or your old one?”

Cloud’s breath hitched quietly. _“Guess that’s just the one my mind goes to first. You never really get over it.”_

Cid huffed. That was a definite understatement. No matter how many distractions he placed for himself, the ugly stain of Shinra could still be seen wherever he went, taunting him. “I think you were just born a fighter, Cloud. So was Tifa, I think. So get to the point – why’d you call?”

_“Tifa’s been swamped with work lately, and it’s gotten to the point where I’ve stepped in and put a limit on how many customers she can have at once.”_

“That…is a good idea, actually. What’s the catch?”

_“No catch; I just had her close the bar early, and I told her we’d have dinner with the kids a bit earlier than normal.”_

“You call me up just to rub it in that you’ve got Tifa’s heavenly cooking to look forward to?”

Cloud actually chuckled. _“Not my intention. Anyway, I want to do something nice for Tifa, but…it doesn’t feel right.”_

This caused Cid’s eyebrows to furl a bit. “Finally had the guts to make a move, huh? What doesn’t feel good about it? Having the kids at the table? You can always change plans a bit and have someone babysit. Take her to the Gold Saucer instead.”

 _“No, it…it needs to be here at the bar.”_ After a long pause insinuating that Cloud had no intention of explaining further, Cid sighed.

“If you wanted to be alone with her, you should’ve thought ahead.”

_“Well, I didn’t make a decision until just a few hours ago. Actually, it was kinda her idea.”_

“She said she wanted dinner with you?”

 _“Not exactly. I told her to close up the bar, said we should eat dinner, and I guess she just assumed I meant that we’d be…”_ Cloud coughed awkwardly. “… _alone_ , _so when I told her we’d have the kids with us, she seemed really upset, or at least disappointed.”_

“So you’re doing this because you think she wants it,” Cid mused. “Neither of you actually called it a date, you’re just treating it like one without having to admit it.” The man snorted, tapping his foot. “I’d expect nothing different from you two.”

 _“But what…what if…”_ Cloud’s voice cracked a bit in a very uncharacteristic way. Cid was even more intrigued now. _“What if that’s not what she wants? Would I be taking things too far? Maybe she wasn’t upset about it not being a date and she was just worried about…uh, the bills or something?”_

“I think the fact that you struggled to find anything _else_ she’d be upset about speaks volumes,” Cid pointed out. “Even if she isn’t expecting a date, what do you think she’ll do? Spit in your face and leave you there alone looking like an idiot?”

_“That’s…not Tifa.”_

“Exactly. You’ve got the hots for her, she’s got the hots for you…I don’t see what the problem is.”

_“Can you not put it like that?”_

Cid groaned in disbelief. “If you’re gonna have a date, you’ve gotta be able to at least say out loud that you _love_ her.”

Cloud was silent.

“Fine: _like_ her.”

_“I’m not saying that over the phone. That’s weird.”_

“Not to _me_ , jacka- er, buddy,” Cid scratched his head. Maybe he wasn’t as clean-mouthed now as he thought. “Tell _her_. You can go on with your little ‘this look confesses more than my lips can manage’ thing, but it’s been years. Tell her with your mouth, whether you like how it _sounds_ or not. She needs to be _confident_ in what you tell her. You want her to know how you feel, right?”

_“I…I guess.”_

“And you don’t want to grow old with her in that bar and die knowing you had all those decades alone with her and never even _kissed_ , right?”

_“I called for advice, remember?”_

“This _is_ advice. Change it up for once and be the more expressive one. If you can’t confess to her tonight, then…maybe I’ll just do it for you.”

 _“Don’t think for a second that I buy your empty threats,”_ Cloud warned, albeit teasingly. 

“I’m a man of my word,” Cid bragged, crossing one arm over his chest. “I made a vow to give up swearing, and I’m doing well enough so far, don’t you think?”

 _“A bit better than I expected, I’ll give you that.”_ After a moment, Cloud’s tone grew more serious. _“Thanks for the advice, I guess. I’ll try to be honest with her about…all of this,”_ Cloud stressed the last few syllables as if was gesturing around him wherever her was. 

“Call me whenever, Cloud,” Cid nodded. “Well, on second thought, don’t bother calling if it’s about your bike. Just bring it to an actual repair shop one of these days.”

_“Yeah, whatever. I’ll, uh…catch up with you again sometime.”_

“Yeah, you’d better. And, Cloud?”

_“Yes?”_

“I know it takes a lot to come to someone like for me for something so personal. To come to _anyone_ , for that matter. I know Tifa means an awful lot to you, so for you to willingly call someone about your complicated relationship? I’m proud of you, bud.”

Cloud could be heard quietly clearing his throat on the other end. _“Thanks. Bye.”_

Before Cid could say anything back, the call ended with a soft _click._ The mechanic chuckled and threw his phone back into his pocket. Cloud Strife was a peculiar man indeed.

* * *

Cloud took a deep breath as he placed his phone down on his desk and stood to his feet. Did he feel any better about this after talking to Cid? He wasn’t completely sure, but he at least now knew what he needed to do. Tonight was going to be the night that Cloud Strife told Tifa Lockhart how he felt about her. He’d do what he could to solidify that confession, say it a hundred times if he had to.

Maybe then, the invisible wall between them could begin to slowly break down. 

He found her downstairs, standing with her back turned to him while she faced the sink. Her dark hair fell down like strands across her back, far less tidy than she normally had it. Cloud also noticed that she was softly humming a tune, the sweet sound of her cheery voice catching his ear. As he came around the bar to meet her, Tifa stopped humming and smiled shyly.

“Is that a song I’d know?” Cloud asked curiously, striking up conversation.

“Probably not,” Tifa shrugged, wringing the sponge out and setting it at the corner of the sink. Her hands reached down to dry her hands on a towel, and she sighed contentedly. He had come at just the right time, apparently, seeing as all of the dishes were now clean and sitting in the drainer. It would be his job to dry them by hand and put the pots and pans away where they belonged. He’d get to that eventually, of course, but he had a different focus. “You ever get a song stuck in your head? Even one that you think is annoying but is still really catchy?”

Cloud’s amusement came out quietly through a puff of his nose. “Sometimes, yeah. Remember that Chocobo song they were handing out back in the slums?”

Tifa gave a quick, single laugh at the memory. “I had forgotten about that one. Did you actually play it on the jukebox at the old bar?”

Cloud sheepishly rubbed his elbow. “Just for a minute or two.”

Tifa shot him a knowing look and turned herself around, leaning her back against the counter and folding her arms. They talked here, like this, a lot more back before the Geostigma became a problem. Before he made very many attempts at being home long enough to have conversations anywhere _but_ here. Tifa pursed her lips, glancing over at the clock. “When did you want to have dinner? I can warm up the leftover mac’n’cheese pretty quick, and we can have the kids come down-“

“Actually, I was thinking we should wait a bit longer,” Cloud started, and nearly froze as soon as Tifa was looking at him directly. He needed to let her know his intentions, right? It shouldn’t be an issue. “The kids can eat the leftovers now if you want, but I had something different in mind for us.”

Tifa’s face seemed to reflect a dozen different emotions constantly overtaking each other. She smiled, and blushed, and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, and blinked several times, and laughed. Despite the rollercoaster, she composed herself quickly enough to ask, “What do you mean by that?”

Cloud took another breath, hoping he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. He’d slain giant monsters, taken out a squad of soldiers while on a motorcycle, defeated Sephiroth himself in combat more than once, and experienced more excitement in just a few years than most people would go through in a lifetime, and yet that all felt like child’s play when he was confronted with those expectant red irises while he had something he needed to say. Speaking to her about normal things like work, kids, and the stars was easy, so why did this need to be a million times more difficult?

They weren’t supposed to have any difficulty between them anymore. Cloud wanted desperately to keep it that way, and he knew Tifa felt the same way. The only challenge was saying what needed to be said to finally remove that final barrier between them.

“I should make something,” Cloud blurted, hating how awkward his voice sounded near the end. It curled in an unnatural, almost hesitant way, as if he’d quickly changed his mind upon seeing Tifa’s look of surprise. “You’ve cooked enough today, and the kids can eat the leftovers, but I wanted to…make…something…for the two of us.”

 _Frickin incredible job,_ Cloud mentally scolded himself. _You totally sound genuine and not at all like an idiot._

To his relief and also considerably heightened stress (was that even possible?), Tifa didn’t smile or frown at all. She seemed distant for a while – no, _occupied –_ and Cloud suddenly felt that she was looking right through his head to read his thoughts. Her lips were just gently parted, her tongue just barely coming into view for a moment as it slowly slid along the bottoms of her two front teeth. Cloud couldn’t even try watching her eyes anymore, knowing the effect they had on him. Her left cheek then fell inwards just a bit as she bit the inside of it, a common thing Cloud had caught her doing often whenever she was in deep consideration.

“Here?” Tifa asked finally, the word not even registering in Cloud’s brain for a moment. All he heard was her _voice_ , and his breath hitched again. “Any special reason?”

He stammered, trying and failing to convey any of this. “I just thought that…and you were just…I didn’t think it _needed_ to be a special occasion-“

“N-no!” Tifa exclaimed, her eyes widening. Her hand reached out to rest on his bare arm. He gently shivered at how cold her palm was. “I’m not saying that at all!”

“Neither am I,” Cloud shook his head, and relief finally set in. Panic was subsiding. With any luck, he could start talking to her like a normal human being again. “You’ve been working hard, and you deserve to take it easy tonight.” _Ah yes, much better._ “I thought I’d make us some chili. Not a lot, but, y’know, enough for…two people.” _Never mind, you screwed it up again._

“Mhm,” the sound came from Tifa as both agreement and as a question. Still, she was finally smiling. “That sounds wonderful, Cloud. You’re too sweet.”

Cloud wanted her to tell him that more often. Was that too selfish or silly of a request? Of course, maybe if he did more things to _warrant_ such high praise, then he’d hear those words more frequently than a once in a blue moon situation.

 _You’re too sweet,_ Cloud found himself wanting to tell her. _The way you juggle work at the bar, taking care of the kids, and kicking ass. The fact that you let me be a part of your everyday life and actually **want** me to be a part of it, too. Making a soup doesn’t even begin to pay you back for any of that._

“Don’t mention it,” Cloud said instead, his hand reaching across his chest to gingerly graze her own that still held his arm. _Actually, please do._

Tifa let out a quiet, content sigh at Cloud’s touch and stared at their joined hands for a moment longer. Finally, she pulled away, and looked back at his eyes. “No, seriously, Cloud, I really appreciate it. You have no idea how much my back is killing me today.” For emphasis, she reached back to rub her back with one hand, seemingly finding no comfort or ease. “Even just ten minutes in my comfy chair before dinner would be a lifesaver.”

“It’s like I told you earlier,” Cloud offered, turning to the sink. “Sometimes, you just don’t know when to take it easy. Go ahead, I’ll get things ready down here while you relax upstairs.”

Tifa nodded, shooting him another grateful smile, but there was something in the way she quickly jolted back before fully leaving the bar counter that suggested a lot more hesitance than Cloud expected. Was it that she felt weird leaving dinner to someone else? Had she wanted to say something?

“Thanks again, Cloud,” she said sweetly, although he had a feeling it was only an expression she’d settled on after debating something else. “You’re the best.”

* * *

_“You’re the best.”_

_“You’re so sweet.”_

_“Having you around more often is really great, Cloud.”_

_“You’re more thoughtful than people give you credit for.”_

_“It’s just you and me some days, and I think I’m happy with that.”_

If only Tifa knew how many times Cloud replayed their conversations in his head sometimes, then maybe she’d somewhat understand his inner conflict. Maybe she actually did, and he was just as clueless of her as she was of him. But then, if he was even considering it now, wouldn’t that mean that he _wasn’t_ clueless and he had an understanding of Tifa’s own discontent?

 _Discontent._ The word was like poison to Cloud, not just because of the meaning behind it, but the implications that were quite clearly reflected by himself. _Selfish, unhappy, lack of gratitude or appreciation-_

It didn’t matter which way you spun it – Cloud Strife felt bad for feeling discontent. Realizing through subtle touches and longing glances that Tifa felt the same to _any_ extent made him feel a bit better about the whole situation, though. 

After the movie had finally ended and white lettering gradually scrolled up the screen, Cloud’s vision of the credits was obstructed by Marlene as she walked right up to him. He was seated on the couch, his arm on the armrest with Tifa seated beside him, but as soon as Marlene gave Cloud a pleading look with half-lidded eyes, he knew this comfort would be coming to an end. “Heading to bed?” he asked.

The girl nodded, but she began tugging on his left arm. “Tuck me in tonight? Please?”

Cloud tipped his head to the side, realizing that Denzel had already gone ahead to his room, and nodded firmly. “Alright. You enjoy the movie?” As he stood to his feet, feeling the cushion rebound a bit as he left it, Marlene bounded closer to him, grabbing onto his legs like she did whenever she was scared.

However, the girl was definitely not scared, looking up at the tall man with a wide, excited smile. “It was okay.” Cloud bent down to pick her up, and made his way to the hallway. He could have sworn that Tifa mumbled something behind him, but he could always ask her later. 

As they entered Marlene’s room, Marlene practically leapt out of Cloud’s arms and hurried over to her bed, already dressed in her pajamas since after dinner. Cloud walked over with a small smile, rolling his eyes. As Marlene relaxed into the bed, Cloud neatly took the end of her comforter in his hands, pulling it up to stop just below the tops of the girl’s shoulders. “There. You gonna go to sleep now?”

“Hmmmm…fine,” she admitted defeat with a small pout, although Cloud could tell she needed the sleep. 

“Get some rest,” Cloud called over his shoulder as he walked to the door, waving goodbye. “I don’t want to have to drag you out of bed in the morning.”

“Cloud?”

“Yeah?”

Marlene was briefly silent, her face scrunching in thought before she asked, “Why did we not get to eat the soup you made?”

Cloud bit his lip. Of course she had seen it, and if she hadn’t, she definitely had to have picked up on the scent while he was working on it. There was no need to hide it from her though, was there? “You and Denzel should be fine eating leftovers. You’ve been spoiled with a lot of expensive meals lately.” He was putting his foot down. He was supposed to do that, wasn’t he?

“But…” Marlene almost whined, gaining a grin from Cloud. 

“But what?”

“But why are you hogging it all for yourself?”

Cloud’s eyebrows raised a bit. He couldn’t exactly blame her for assuming anything like that. The chili looked and smelled delicious, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it, but… “It’s for me and Tifa to share.”

“Oh.”

Cloud was without response. So, she’d feel jealous and left out if there was chili she didn’t get to eat, but when it was for Tifa, she had no problem with it? It was humorous if not expected. Marlene claimed to not pick favorites within her makeshift family, but she always had the softest spot for Tifa. She’d known her the longest, and had been babysat by her countless times before ever moving into the new bar at Edge. Cloud was just glad he could experience a _portion_ of that with Marlene.

“Well, good,” Marlene suddenly said, nodding. “Tifa looks really tired. Not like she needs a nap, more like…” she scrunched her face again. “More like she has a _giant_ headache.”

“I know.”

“She seems sad, too.”

Cloud’s eyes fixated on the wooden doorframe for a while, thinking it over. “Don’t worry. I’ll cheer her up.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay, good night!” Marlene suddenly squealed, pulling the covers up over her head and disappearing underneath. Convinced that it was her own unique way of ending the conversation, Cloud shook his head, a smile across his lips. 

“Good night, Denzel,” Cloud called to the boy who was already fast asleep and didn’t answer.

* * *

Tifa had learned and accepted a long time ago that her relationship would always be a bit unorthodox, no matter the implications. After the hardened ex-SOLDIER façade was washed away in the Lifestream and the boy she remembered from Nibelheim returned in his fullest, Tifa hadn’t been able to recall a time when she’d been more relieved. More overjoyed.

A lot of it, of course, had to do with the rollercoaster of emotions involved in every moment of interaction with him between Midgar and the Lifestream. Finding him on the streets, noticing his changed behavior, noticing the holes in his fractured memory, seeing his mind _collapse_ under the pressure of everything that happened. _Meteor, Zack, Aerith, SOLDIER…_

Finding Cloud in that wheelchair at Mideel, of all places while the world was seemingly coming to an end and Tifa’s resolve was weakening by the second…it felt like a miracle. It hadn’t been easy piecing him back together, but after it was done, it almost felt like Tifa had _earned_ him back. That the lost memories, lies, death, pain, and guilt were all necessary for her to have her childhood friend returned to her. She hadn’t wanted to admit it back then, but it filled her with a strong sense of _possessiveness_ , an emotion she managed to swallow down for a while when following Cloud back into the North Crater to face off against Sephiroth one last time. She recalled almost wanting to hold Cloud back, so that he’d never have to feel that much pain and confusion again and that he wouldn’t _leave_.

Tifa wasn’t a possessive or clingy person, at least that was what she told herself. She tried to give Cloud his space and be understanding when he wanted to be alone. Still, during the Geostigma crisis when he’d left the bar without saying goodbye, Tifa had felt that possessiveness bubble up again. How could he leave her after she’d worked so hard to have him back? Who was to say he could have even healed his mind on his own if she hadn’t fallen into the Lifestream with him?

Tifa ran her fingers across her temples as she pondered these things, feeling silly that she was even worrying about it in the first place. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t go there again. She’d never forget the pain she’d felt going to bed every night without any reassurance that Cloud was in a warm bed of his own somewhere out there, not knowing he’d been in a thin _cot_ on the floor of Aerith’s church, but there was no use dwelling on the past. After all, if she let both their actions and decisions back during Geostigma affect her so much, it’d be like dealing with the guilt of Sector 7 all over again. Tifa didn’t want that for herself or Cloud.

And he’d promised. Promised not to leave her again. Cloud Strife kept his promises.

And now here he was, walking across the bar to the table she was seated at, a stained apron over his torso and a sizeable stainless steel pot in both of his mitted hands. His blonde spikes were even _wilder_ than usual, and an almost unnoticeable drop of sweat rolled down the side of his forehead. He was watching for her reaction like his life depended on it, his curious, almost _childlike_ eyes urging a shy smile from her.

“Smells wonderful,” Tifa praised him gently, taking a whiff and then relaxing herself. As Cloud came over to place the pot on the table, she noticed a spark in those eyes now, almost like she could _see_ the wheels in his head turning. Almost like he was mentally telling himself, _She likes it! She really likes it!_

Now, Cloud was bringing out two bowls and two spoons, placing them at each end of the circular table. Just as Tifa was about to ask about getting them some drinks, Cloud stepped right back up and went to get two tall glasses from behind the bar. She raised an inquisitive brow as her glass was placed in front of her. She held it in one hand, watching the reddish-orange liquid spill back and forth as she gently tilted it. “Doesn’t look like any of the drinks I usually serve here,” she pointed out, and Cloud nodded.

“It’s not alcohol,” he explained simply, beginning to pour the chili into the two bowls.

“I see. Some kind of sparkling soda?”

The left corner of Cloud’s mouth tilted upwards with amusement, as if his next revelation was anything to be even slightly shy about. “Its raspberry iced tea.”

“Oh?” Tifa asked, the idea sounding strangely appealing to her tonight. It _had_ been a while since she could recall drinking anything besides tap water or the occasional drinks from the bar, but iced tea? Had she mentioned liking it to Cloud before? She raised the glass to her lips finally, nearly making a pleased sound as it spilled past her dry lips. She really needed to be better about staying hydrated, didn’t she?

_Lucky me, I’ve got Cloud for that tonight._

Maybe it was the stress still getting to her, or the unresolved question of whether or not Cloud saw this as anything more than a family dinner without the kids, but Tifa felt like she was sitting atop a literal cloud. Life at the bar was never like this. There’d always be late night deliveries for him, or housework or projects for her, or the kids would need their attention…

“I hope you like it,” Cloud spoke, a bit of that Nibelheim softness coming through. He sat down across from her with his own bowl, but not before tearing off the apron and throwing it into a booth across the room. Tifa cleared her throat teasingly, noticing that despite his efforts to make this dinner organized, he still had a habit of throwing his coat – or in this case, apron – anywhere _but_ the coat rack.

“I do,” Tifa sighed happily, taking another, longer sip. “Where did you get tea from? I never bought any.”

Cloud trailed his finger around the rim of his glass, not immediately meeting her eyes until he had gone around three times. “I went out and got it. Figured you’d like something different.”

“You didn’t have to get anything we didn’t already have here, but thank you,” Tifa beamed. Her hand went to her spoon, rolling spoonfuls of dark red chili up and over while she breathed it in. It really _did_ smell good. She felt Cloud’s expectant, almost nervous eyes on her, but she kept her own eyes shut during the first spoonful. It tasted rich and slightly spicy while the warmth soothed her throat. As her eyes opened again, she took note of Cloud’s arm which had reached across the table to gently sprinkle shredded cheese on top. 

Tifa realized she _really_ loved the little things he did. It wasn’t every day she witnessed Cloud Strife’s face light up just at the idea of her enjoying something he’d worked on. A thick, clearly noticeable, in-your-face look of pride and accomplishment captured his features in a cheerful expression for more than a few moments. Tifa’s heart felt warmer in her chest than the soup in her throat.

He finally began eating as well then, after adding cheese for himself and sliding the pot of chili to the side so there was nothing obstructing their view of one another. They were both silent for a while, but in their usual way that never felt uncomfortable or upsetting since they were just being themselves. 

Eventually, they both went to speak at the same time, tumbling over each other.

“ _I wanted to ask you about – **Can we talk about** – that dinner we had a few weeks ago – **what I said a while back**?”_

Cloud’s eyebrows rose. “What?”

Tifa blushed. “Uh, sorry, didn’t mean to talk over you. You can go first.”

Cloud shook his head. “Tonight’s about you. Go ahead.”

She dipped her head a bit at that, hoping her face wasn’t still red. _When will you realize I want it to be about the both of us sometimes?_ “Alright. I guess I’ve been thinking about our past few dinners with our neighbors. The Rollinghams and…” she paused, trying to remember the name.

“The Bistrows,” Cloud offered the name without hesitation, as if it had been at the focus of his own thoughts as well. Tifa wondered if he was still sore at Titus. Fortunately, the blonde’s face relaxed a bit as he continued talking. “I’ll be honest – it’s been on my mind, too. You know, there’s a lot of things that I said – that we _both_ said then that I…that I guess I’m tired of guessing about.”

Tifa’s heart was throbbing again, and she wanted desperately to just let him keep speaking instead of her. It wasn’t common, but every so often she could get Cloud lost on a little tangent of his, spilling information and feelings he usually kept to himself. Sometimes it’d happen after a few too many Cosmo Canyons, and other times it was when he was being sweet and genuine. 

“Were you going to continue?” Cloud asked, calling Tifa back to reality. Of _course_ he’d leave it at that, putting his own ranting on pause to hear what she needed to say. She’d be charmed if she didn’t want to hear him keep going so badly.

“Oh, yes. Well…” Tifa sighed, now finding it hard to look Cloud in the eye. _He’s your closest friend. You’ve lived under the same roof as him for years now. This isn’t hard._ “You remember Titus? He said something that got me thinking.”

“He says a lot of things,” Cloud muttered under his breath, but clearly made it loud enough for her to pick up on. “What in particular?”

Tifa bit her bottom lip. _How about the part when he said I was yours, and you lashed out at him for assuming it?_

Cloud’s words from that night rang in her head so clearly as if he were saying them right there. _“Tifa’s her own person. She’s not **mine**.”_

Not knowing quite well how to voice the real issue at hand, Tifa tried going for a broader explanation. “Our neighbors create a lot of different impressions of us, Cloud. Part of the reason why I wanted those dinners to happen in the first place is because I wanted those impressions to be made of _us_ and what _we_ do in front of them. Not…” Tifa sighed. “…not whatever they assume based on briefly seeing us outside the bar.”

Tifa could hear Cloud’s jaw tighten, and she finally looked up to lock eyes with him again. “I didn’t realize how much an innocent assumption could affect me, y’know?” 

He nodded slowly. “I think I get what you mean.”

“Great. Because we both told each other we wanted to be more honest and straightforward, right?” She remembered sitting on the floor beside him while he fixed the heater. The talk they had. The moment she’d nestled into him and rested her head on his shoulder without ever bringing it up. They both just…let it happen. It had felt natural, hadn’t it? Like it had been a long time coming.

“Right. When Titus talked about you being… _mine_ ,” Cloud spared her the guesswork by uttering the word slowly, “…I just sort of snapped. And I haven’t felt like that in a long time.” He looked down at his hand, letting go of his spoon and clenching his fist thoughtfully. “I think that used to be part of my personality when my mind was messed up by Shinra, but not now.” His eyes moved back up to Tifa’s, this time with genuine concern pooled. “I don’t know why the idea of being with you would make me upset. I’m happy living with you and the kids.”

Tifa shifted awkwardly in her seat. “I know, Cloud. But I don’t think you’re upset at the _idea_ of us being together. It’s that other people see us in the same house raising the same kids and think we’re a couple. Can’t exactly blame them,” she finished, laughing bitterly.

“But why would that make me angry?”

“You clearly didn’t like Titus. He just got under your skin,” Tifa guessed.

“Maybe that was it,” Cloud shrugged, and went back to thinking as he continued eating his chili. After the fourth spoonful, he dropped it. “My words hurt you, didn’t they?”

Tifa swallowed hard. “I…”

“You don’t have to make it sound any less bad than it was,” Cloud insisted, his tone firm and level. His hand reached across the table before resting just over hers. As his fingers gently rubbed the skin of the back of her hand, he kept on going. “You were sitting right there, hearing everything I said while I snapped at that guy. I was harsh, and while I thought I was only being cold to Titus, I hadn’t realized I hurt you way more.” He winced. “At least, when I _did_ realize, it was too late. I should have resolved that with you right after it happened.”

Tifa didn’t know how to respond at first, and her eyes kept glancing down at their joined hands as a hundred different thoughts raced around in her head. “I…I _was_ hurt, but now I’m not sure how to say why.”

Cloud hesitated. Before Tifa could notice his change in expression, he built up confidence to say something she didn’t expect. “Because you want that.” Tifa fell back a bit in her chair, her head whipping up and her carmine eyes growing wide like saucers. Why was she so surprised that he knew this? “Because I want that, too,” Cloud finished shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I don’t…know what to say,” Tifa laughed nervously, her voice breathy and broken.

“Remember that night before we faced Sephiroth?” Cloud asked. “When I told everyone to go, find their reason for fighting, and come back?”

Tifa nodded. “We were on that hill. Or mountain. I don’t quite remember the spot.”

“We confessed a lot to each other. Things were happening so fast, and we thought the world might come to an end before we had another chance to be alone, so…” Cloud turned red a bit at the thought of _everything_ they’d done that night, but he brushed it away quickly. “I guess I was afraid that maybe some of the things we’d said were lost in translation, or, I don’t know…” Cloud groaned. “That either of us thought we only said those things because we were desperate and only had each other.”

Tifa blushed. “Cloud, I wouldn’t have spent that night with you if I wasn’t one hundred percent sure of my feelings. Or yours.”

The weight of her confession hovered between the two of them for a moment of silence. Cloud finally cleared his throat and spoke. “Then why are we afraid?”

It was the question they needed to ask eventually, but Tifa hadn’t been prepared for it. Cloud was looking at her like she was the best thing he’d ever seen, almost like that night under the Highwind all over again, and she was a blushing, stammering mess. “I…I guess we’re just no good at this kind of stuff, Cloud.” She had to collect herself. Were those really tears in the corners of her eyes? She quickly brushed them away.

“I’m not romantic,” Cloud said bluntly. “At all.”

Tifa laughed quietly. “I know. And that’s fine. I don’t want you to change.”

Cloud’s face tightened in thought. “Well, if we’re no good at this stuff, then I want to know how to get a good start.” His hand was turning hers over now, so their palms were touching and their fingers could link together. 

“I’m just as hopeless as you are,” Tifa smiled. “I don’t want to push things beyond what you feel okay with, either.”

“As long as we stick to our promise to be honest with each other, we’ll know how far to push it,” Cloud pointed out. Tifa’s heart was beating rapidly, feeling like she was _above_ the literal clouds now. “We’ve both spent over two years in this place. Two years since Meteor. Two years since that night under the Highwind.” Cloud chuckled softly. “It feels kinda stupid that I spent all that time worrying and keeping to myself when I had you here with my all along.”

Tifa frowned. “You were being crushed by your guilt over Aerith and Zack. I was in a similar spot before the Geostigma too, remember? All those lives that had been lost as a result of my own actions as a member of Avalanche.” The woman sighed, feeling her shoulders slump. “I think it felt wrong to be concerned about relationships and pushing anything between us. Especially when it all felt so…fragile.”

Cloud bit his tongue. “But I could have been there to help you.”

“You were,” Tifa assured him, squeezing his hand. “We didn’t have to be dating for it to feel natural to confide in you whenever things got rocky. You just weren’t always the easiest person to get through to, especially with your long deliveries.”

There was a long list of jobs sitting on Cloud’s desk that he’d have to worry about in the morning, but he pushed the thought aside. “If we were together when we moved in, would you have wanted me to have such a demanding job? Even now, I’m not around the bar as often as I’d like to be.”

“I’m not sure,” Tifa shook her head. “Your job is important, and…” she cut herself off, feeling rather guilty as that sense of possessiveness crossed her mind. “I know this makes me feel selfish, but being stuck in this stupid middle ground where we’re both too nervous to ask the question? It’s made me feel discontent. Unsatisfied.” She choked on the last word, but she was sincere. 

“Tifa…”

“I’ve learned to be patient with you since we were kids, Cloud. Up until a few months ago, maybe a year, I don’t know…I just no longer felt patient. Before, I could always wait for you to come home late from work, and go to bed if you took too long. I’d always busy myself with chores and the bar and taking care of the kids.” She squeezed his hand again, tighter this time. “I’d tell myself that feeling upset that I wasn’t anything more than a friend to you was selfish – and it _is_ – but I couldn’t get over it. After seeing what our neighbors thought of us, it just made things worse, I think.”

“You’ve never been _just_ my friend,” Cloud’s eyebrows furled a bit in confusion. “At least not since you found me in Midgar. We could pretend that nothing had changed since Nibelheim, but even after clearing my head, I had changed. It didn’t have to have a romantic implication – I just felt a certain way about you that I couldn’t explain. You accepted me and appreciated me even after how stubborn I could be. Even after I’d let you down.” His eyes fell, but Tifa quickly caught them back.

“You _have_ let me down, Cloud, but I don’t let that ruin what we have. I’ve made a ton of mistakes in my life, too. Some days, I wish I could take it all back. That I hadn’t let my hatred for Shinra drive me to be responsible for the bombings on Sector 7.”

Cloud’s lips slightly quirked. “…but?”

“But then I wouldn’t have gone through what I did. I might have been living a completely different life somewhere, safe and innocent but without all the experiences that made me who I am now. It may not have been the best of circumstances, but they brought us together. Here. To the bar. To the kids. Don’t you feel like you have a real role to play here?”

Cloud sat back in his seat, peering out the window. “Yeah. I doubt playing the role of delivery boy will be enjoyable forever, but at least I get some fresh air.”

Tifa rolled her eyes, smirking as she did so. “I was talking about our family, Cloud.”

“I know,” he nodded, seeming serious again. “You and the kids are really important to me. I felt responsible for other things before like Sephiroth and protecting the Planet, but…I’m needed here, I think. It works out just fine, because I like being here most.”

“You really mean it?”

“I do.” Cloud was grinning again, and before Tifa could make a comment on it, he stood to his feet, his hand still holding hers. Instinctively, she rose from her seat as well, and he led her to the side of the table. His other hand did the same, then, and as they held their hands between them both, Tifa let out a contented sigh. 

“You have no idea how good it feels to get that off my chest,” she admitted, looking into his blue eyes and finding him looking back. She watched his lips, parting slightly as she leaned forward, and as her hands ran up the length of his arms to settle on his sides, she kissed him.

It had been a long time. Kisses on the cheek just weren’t enough.

* * *

Five days later, Tifa had closed down the bar early again, something that patrons would usually complain about the next day due to how frequently it seemed to happen. This time, however, the family wasn’t eating by themselves, nor were they inviting over neighbors.

“Gotta say, fellas, you brightened up the place pretty good,” Cid praised Cloud and Tifa as he passed by them to dump another helping of mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Seventh Heaven has never looked better.”

“Thank you, Cid,” Tifa smiled warmly, bringing her glass away from her lips. “Cloud actually did most of the painting himself.” She gently elbowed the ex-merc beside her, who hummed in acknowledgement in between sips. Cloud had actually found himself oddly enjoying painting after finally brightening up the bedroom, so the bar had already been his second project. If only the air conditioner would stop acting up, things would be perfect.

The bar had been filled up with their friends now, with Cid never quite settling on one place to sit. Barret had seated himself at a booth with Marlene while the girl chatted her dad’s ear off with stories, and she’d occasionally slide him a drawing for his two cents. Vincent had finally purchased a cell phone, much to the group’s amusement, and Denzel of all people was showing him how to use it.

“But why would I need an application like this on my phone?” Vincent questioned the boy as he watched Denzel install an additional three apps. “What purpose should it serve other than making communication with allies?”

“It’s Below Us,” Denzel explained as if it that answered the man’s question. “It’s a super popular game that you can play with me and Marlene sometime. Are you good at infiltrating stations and taking out a whole squad of people without anyone realizing it’s you?”

Vincent raised a brow. “Unfortunately so.”

“So, are we going to address the giant chocobo in the room?” Yuffie asked around the room before gesturing to the bartender and delivery boy who were happily seated together and talking. 

“Whaddya mean?” Barret asked. “Just get to the godda- er, I mean, uh… _speak,_ woman! Get to the point!” It was a rather awkward attempt at censoring himself around Marlene and Denzel, and Cid snickered to the side, knowing his pain. 

“Cloud and Tifa are _hiding_ something,” Yuffie pressed, rolling her eyes. “Just look at them! It’s like they forgot they even have guests. They’re just _drooling_ over each other.”

Marlene, quite confused, peered around her father’s beefy arm to watch Cloud and Tifa. “Oh, they’ve been like that ever since Cloud made chili and only shared it with Tifa.”

“Oh?” Vincent asked, seeming surprised.

“It was good chili,” Tifa shrugged, barely hiding her growing smirk.

“You two are cryptic beyond belief,” Barret shook his head. “If it’s something we all should know, might as well get it out.”

Cloud glanced at Barret briefly before turning to Tifa. “You wanna tell them?”

Tifa thought for a moment before standing to her feet. Before Cloud could ask why, she leaned over his shoulder, grabbed his empty bowl to place in the sink, and left a small kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Everyone in the room gawked.

“Did she just-“ Yuffie stammered.

While most of the sudden reactions were that of surprise, Barret let out a loud laugh and patted the table. “It only took – what? Fifty years?”

fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I'm forcing myself to write at least one non-FF7 fic before coming back here lol. The characters are just really interesting, so...good job to the creators I guess
> 
> Please leave your thoughts if you enjoyed! If you didn't, feel free to tell me why :)


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